Inner Demons
by August08
Summary: A strange sickness has fallen upon New Olympia. Thinking it's another scheme set by Cronus the seven heroes decide to investigate. But, what happens when they find Cronus isn't to blame? And what happens when one of their own becomes infected?
1. Prologue

**A/N**: Here's my second attempt at a COTT story. I hope it's as good as **Truth be Told**. Of course, you (the readers) are the judges of that.

* * *

The air was crisp and the moon was full. This was how it survived. Living off the cold fears that dominated the air and the deceit of the shadows. But, even that wasn't enough. It needed more. Once, it had been feared; it had been respected. Now, it was a mere shadow. Though, it still had strength and power. It had brought empires to their knees, destroyed cities, controlled the hearts of many powerful mortals. It had even controlled the mythical, long forgotten gods of Ancient Greece. And it craved that power once again.

The shadow snaked through the woods. It came upon a cliff. On the horizon lay a vast city. It was not a city of ancient times, but it had what the shadow hungered for. Mortals. The shadow would let them rest until the next moon. Then, it would feast.

* * *

Short, yes. But, also, this is just the prologue. Please tell me what you think.


	2. Ch 1: King

**A/N**: This story is set two months after **Truth be Told**. It's something of a sequal. And I forget the plot and character changes in Macbeth because I haven't looked at the play since grade twelve. So sue me if it doesn't add it.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own COTT, Macbeth or A Midsummer Night's Dream.

* * *

"Macbeth was corrupted by greed."

"I'm corrupted by _boredom_," Neil whispered.

"It was _Lady_ Macbeth who was corrupted," Archie muttered.

Atlanta quietly snickered. Archie didn't like Shakespeare on the best of days. Now that they were studying Shakespeare's _Macbeth _in English class he was living a waking nightmare. It had been okay when they were doing _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. Archie had made a very cute Lysander. Of course, Atlanta was made to play Hermia. Neil got to play Demetrius, although he spent more time talking about how tacky the costumes were instead of saying the lines. That had been an interesting English class.

A paper ball hit Archie in the back of the head. It seemed like in every class Neil was in with him, Archie had paper balls thrown at him, but the teacher never noticed. It had happened a couple months ago when Mr. Hutching, the cranky Math teacher, had found Archie with the workings Odie had given him and had blurted out to the entire Math class that he enjoyed poetry more than math. That was true. What was also true was that it would be exactly two months ago tomorrow since he had been spelled by Veritas, the goddess of truth. That had been a nightmare. Lured into a trap by Cronus, Archie had to fight to keep his mouth shut. But, whenever he refused to answer, Cronus would either twist his bad arm, or had Agnon crush his bad heel. That was also the night when he had confessed to Atlanta that he loved her, and had found out (thanks to Cronus) that the truth spell had escalated to a much broader audience, meaning, anyone. It was set to be just between Archie and his four siblings. But, over time it grew and caused him to tell the truth to anyone he talked to. He had a field day trying to lie to Cronus.

Archie reached back into his hood and pulled out the ball. He was about to open it when the teacher called his name.

"Archie, please read Macbeth's part."

Archie skimmed the page and found the spot they were on. He cleared his voice and, in a, deliberately, dramatic voice began to read:

Is this a dagger which I see before me,  
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.  
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.  
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible  
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but  
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,  
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?  
I see thee yet, in form as palpable  
As this which now I draw.

Atlanta was trying so hard not to laugh. Archie couldn't help but smile himself. Neil was laughing to kill himself.

_"Another class for the history books," _Archie thought.

The teacher cleared her throat and moved on, obviously a bit scared. Archie opened the paper ball, now that he had the Harpie out of the way. Atlanta, Neil and Archie had nicknamed their English teacher Harpie. She could screech like one when she was mad. Archie read the small, random note:

_Beware the ides of March_

True tomorrow _was_ the fifteenth of March. False that it had _anything_ to do with _Macbeth_. With a sigh, Archie picked up his pencil and scribbled down a response. He folded the paper and passed it back to a still giggling Neil.

"Two seats behind," Archie whispered.

Neil took the paper and whispered to the girl behind him to pass the note to the guy behind her. And that guy was the biggest problem to ever hit Olympus High School, Bruce Baxter.

With a shaky hand, the girl slipped the paper onto Bruce's desk. The jock picked it up and skimmed the cocky remark:

_Wrong play, moron_

Bruce crushed the note into a ball again. Out of all the people in school, the one person who never coward in fear was Archie King. Maybe because he had that human mountain, Herry Britton, for back-up. King had six wimpy teammates, two of which were girls. Bruce had the football team.

Archie and Atlanta glanced at each other. The Huntress winked at the Warrior. He winked back. Message received.

* * *

Lunch couldn't come fast enough. The cafeteria quickly filled up with hungry students. Archie was on his way to the team's usual table on the second floor when someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Think you're funny, don't you, King?"

"Come on, Baxter, not this again."

"You have to ruin a perfect chain letter with your cocky remarks and your stupid poetry hobby."

The room fell dead silent. Why was everyone so surprised? Most of them heard it from grumpy Mr. Hutching two months ago. He was a closet poet, big deal. Everyone had a skeleton in their closet. Archie looked around the cafeteria. He could see Atlanta push her way to where he was. Jay and Herry were also making their way over.

"What's the matter? Can't fight without your little girlfriend?" Bruce taunted. "What's her name? Ranger? Oh, yes, Atlanta!"

"You leave her out of this!"

Bruce laughed.

"What's ya gonna do? Hit me? Go on, I dare you," he challenged.

"Trust me, Baxter, my bite is worse than my bark," Archie warned.

"With that Frankenstein hand of yours, I believe it," Bruce said.

Archie clenched his left fist. It had almost healed. The only thing that kept the few scars showing was the fact that he had been holding his whip when Cronus had blasted him with what the god had called Prometheus Fire. He could heal fast, sure, but you couldn't walk away from something that powerful without something to show for it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Archie could see Herry make a beeline for where Bruce had him cornered. Theresa was holding Atlanta back to the best of her ability. What was he supposed to do? If he fought, everyone would know something was up. But, then again, Archie had never resisted a challenge in his life. And challenges got no bigger than Bruce Baxter.

_"Just keep it verbal,"_ he told himself.

"Aw, look. The wittle warrior's afwaid," Bruce taunted in a mock baby voice.

Archie squeezed his eyes tight and clenched his fists.

"Hey, closet poet, what's the matter? Can't think of any cocky remarks?" Bruce teased.

"At least I'm cultured!"

Archie was shaking he was so mad. The room was dead silent. Somewhere in the background a fork was dropped. But, none were more stunned than Bruce.

"What's the matter, Big B? Cat got your tongue?" Archie asked.

"Th...this isn't over, Frankenstein!"

Bruce stalked off. "I've been called worse," Archie said. The students erupted in cheers and applause. Bruce Baxter was the one guy no one had the guts to stand up to. And who should be the first to do it? Stubborn as a yak Archie King. He never backed away from a potentially difficult challenge, and Bruce had been the biggest challenge Olympus High had to offer.

Atlanta forced her way to Archie's side.

"You are amazing," she praised.

Theresa made her way over.

"That was incredible," she put in.

"It was no big deal," Archie told the girls with a simple shrug.

He made his way over to where Jay and Herry were standing.

"Arch, that was..."

"Awesome!" Herry finished. "I was ready to pound the guy for ya, but you knocked him flat without touching him."

"There's more than enough fighting in my life as it is," Archie pointed out.

A fellow student came up and clapped him on the back.

"Arch, you are the _King_!"

He walked off.

"I hope that doesn't stick," Archie wished.

"All you'd have to do is switch your names around," Herry said.

"King Archie?" Theresa asked.

"Come on, Herry, just because I beat Baxter in a game of verbal volleyball doesn't make me a king. That's just my last name," Archie insisted.

Herry shrugged.

"If you say so."

"And, don't start calling me that, either."

Archie made his way up to the table with Atlanta by his side. The two immediately began talking about what happened in English class. Jay shook his head. Archie was never one to bask in the glory of a self-won fight. He liked sharing the victory with his teammates. And, he didn't let anything stop him from protecting his friends. Not even the fear he had been infected with after trying on the mask of Phobos held him back when he was needed the most. Archie was a dedicated and loyal member of the team. Jay was proud to not only have him as a teammate, but also a good friend.

* * *

End of chapter one. What do you think? Worth continuing?


	3. Ch 2: Visions and Full Moons

"And then he retorts, 'At least I'm cultured!', and Bruce just stands there. He didn't know what hit him. The look on his face was priceless."

Neil was telling Aphrodite and Ares about the incident in the cafeteria.

"That's a good boy. Violence is rarely the answer," the goddess of love and beauty said.

Ares scoffed.

"Archie could have taken that Baxter kid with his eyes closed," he boasted.

Just then, the doors to the main hall opened and Archie and Atlanta walked in.

"Man, I wish I had a camera when you told him he wasn't civilized."

"He's not. The guy goes around acting all high and mighty, thinking he's the king of the world. What kind of person thinks so highly of himself? Well, except for Neil."

"Ahem? I'm right here?" Neil said.

"Oh, hey, Neil. Didn't see you," Archie joked.

Ares walked up and gave his student a slap on the back that nearly sent Archie to the floor.

"Just heard about your battle that took place this afternoon. Well fought," he congratulated.

"And he didn't even have to use his whip," Aphrodite added, walking over and ruffling Archie's hair.

"Okay, okay. I get it. Thank you. But, it's really not that big a deal," Archie insisted.

"You're just being modest."

"Darn right I'm being modest. Neil could have taken Bruce if he wanted to," Archie pointed out.

Neil looked up from his mirror.

"Ah, not exactly," he replied. "I'm a lover not a fighter."

"You're not even a lover," Atlanta muttered.

"He loves himself," Archie whispered to her.

The friends laughed.

"What?"

"Never mind, Neil."

Archie headed for the gym while Atlanta headed for the weapons vault. Ares went to check on his pupil. When the god of war arrived, Archie was doing his stretches.

"How's the back?" Ares asked.

"It's seen better days," Archie replied, pulling his left arm across his chest with his right arm.

"The same can be said for your arm."

Archie looked at his scarred hand. He remembered Jay explaining the mess he was in when they had returned to Chiron's study after the fight with Cronus. Archie couldn't remember waking up after the battle. He just remembered an agonizingly sharp pain in his arm, then waking up a few hours later. Archie hadn't laid his hands on a whip in ages. Not since his last one-on-one battle against Cronus when the god attacked his family.

Ares began to rummage around in a trunk.

"What are you looking for, Ares?" Archie asked.

"Aha! Here we are," Ares announced.

He walked over to Archie and gave him a familiar tool.

"Look familiar?" the god asked.

Archie turned the whip's handle over in his hands.

"I thought Cronus destroyed this."

"He did. Hephaestus made you a new one. This one's unbreakable."

Archie released the chain. It glowed an electric blue.

"Remind me to thank Heph," he told Ares.

He cracked the whip and the blades sliced through a training robot. Ares glared down at Achilles' descendant.

"Remind _me_ to tell Hephaestus to make unbreakable training robots," he growled.

Archie chuckled nervously.

"All right. I want fifteen laps as a warm up. Go!"

Archie took off like a bullet shot from a gun. Ares smiled to himself. The kid was back in action.

* * *

Theresa concentrated on keeping her breathing steady. Her mind stretched among the walls of the Secret Wing. In the gym she could hear Archie attack training robots. In Hermes' office she heard Odie chattering away about some high tech program which contained far too many technical words, she could also sense Hermes' frustration. In another room Theresa could sense Atlanta and Artemis practicing long distance shooting. In Hercules' room she could pick up the two strongest people she knew in what looked like a wrestling match. Theresa didn't have to go far to find Neil in Aphrodite's spa. That only left Jay. Theresa expanded her reach and found him in Hera's office, buried in a book. Suddenly, something jumped into her mind. Theresa let out a cry of surprise as she was sent into a vision.

_The city was covered in a heavy shadow. She stood alone in the middle of an empty street. It was unnaturally cold. Theresa wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. This had to be the deepest and most real vision she had yet. _

_"More. I thirst for more."_

_Theresa swung around. "Who said that? Who's there?" she called._

_"I thirst for more."_

_"Jay?! Atlanta?!"_

_Naturally there was no answer. There was a deep growl behind her. Theresa tensed and slowly turned around. She cried out in surprised when she saw who it was. It looked like Archie. But, he had jet black hair which hung down around his head in strands. His clothes were black and he didn't have his usual smug look whenever he caught Theresa off guard. He opened his eyes. Theresa wanted to scream. His eyes were fiery red. _

_"Archie? Oh no! Please, no! Don't let it be!"_

_"Only one left," Archie hissed. _

_"No!" Theresa begged as he stepped closer. "No!"_

"Theresa?"

Theresa's eyes snapped opened. Her reflexes kicked in when she saw grey-blue eyes stare down at her.

"Whoa!" Archie cried in surprise, catching the stray fist. "Theresa, what's the matter with you?"

Theresa scrambled to her feet.

"Stay away from me you...you monster!" she cried.

The other heroes and gods ran in. Theresa ran into Jay's arms.

"Theresa, what's wrong?"

Everyone looked at Archie. He shrugged.

"I didn't do anything. I heard her scream and came running. I tried to wake her up and the next thing I know she's trying to take my head off," he explained.

Jay rubbed Theresa's back.

"It was just a vision. It couldn't harm you," he soothed.

Theresa's shoulders shook as she cried into Jay's chest.

"It was horrible," she sobbed.

"You're safe. Nothing is going to harm you," Jay repeated calmly.

Hera hurried Odie, Neil, Atlanta, Herry, and Archie out of Persephone's solarium.

"Is she going to be okay?" Atlanta asked.

"Persephone will take care of Theresa, as will Jay. It is getting late. You children should end back to the dorm," Hera instructed.

The heroes did as they were told.

Walking out of the janitor's closet and into the halls of the school, Neil began the interrogation.

"So, Arch, what did you do, exactly?" he asked.

"I didn't do anything, Neil," Archie snapped. "Ares let me out early, I heard Theresa scream and I rushed to help her."

"Theresa hasn't been _that _scared before," Odie pointed out.

"Maybe it was her vision," Herry suggested.

"Could be," Odie agreed.

"At any rate, I hope she's okay. I didn't mean to scare her like that," Archie said.

"We know you didn't, Archie," Atlanta told him.

"I wonder what her vision was about," Herry thought out loud.

Archie didn't want to admit it, but he had a feeling he had been a part of it. Maybe that was why Theresa had been so terrified when she saw him. The friends walked outside and climbed into Herry's truck. The Brawn started the truck, stepped on the gas and drove back to the Brownstone. Archie glanced up at the sky through the windshield. The clouds rolled back to reveal another full moon. Apart from water, he now hated full moons.

* * *

Chapter two. Whew. What do you think? Reviews help very much. Constructive criticism is also welcomed.

**A/N**: for the last part about Archie not liking full moons, check out **Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself**.


	4. Ch 3: Movie Night

**A/N**: Thank you so much to all of you have reviewed. I'm happy to hear that this story is satisfying. Your reviews help keep me in check and as a result keeps this story in check. If you see me slip, notify me, I can't say it enough. I don't have a beta reader so I have to re-read what I type by myself. Pain in the butt, but it's worth it. Anyway, enough of my useless chatter, on to chapter three.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own COTT. I only own Bruce and "the shadow", if you want to call it a character. And I don't own "A Wonderful World".

* * *

Hungry. It craved nourishment. It could taste the energy of the mortal city. It was the only food worth craving. The shadow slithered out of its hole as the delicious rays of moonlight crept over the forest floor. If it had a voice it would have sighed in sweet relief. The rays of moonlight were like water to a thirsty soul for this figure-less creature. Was it even a creature? It didn't know. All it knew was the honey-like taste of a mortal.

That was all it lived for. That was the reason why it had survived all these centuries. The shadow had discovered it had evolved slightly since it had arrived here. It had the ability to think and to remember. It remembered a great city somewhere near the ocean. The great city of Rome. And Ancient Greece, its homeland.

The shadow snaked its way closer to the city. It could sense the different types of mortals that lived within the gates. They were nothing like the ancient ones. Just how much time had past? It didn't care. It was hungry. Its feast was close. The shadow made its way into the city. The bright lights and noise confused it, but it didn't falter in its hunt. This city belonged to the shadow.

* * *

"Oh, come on! That's just not fair!"

"Looks like you're on dish duty, Herry."

Archie patted his strong friend on the shoulder and got to his feet.

"You cheated," Herry protested.

"A bet's a bet," Archie pointed out. "You said if I win you would do the dishes. I won. The dish cloth is all yours tonight, pal."

Odie couldn't help but laugh. It was normally the guys who got stuck cleaning up after supper. The girls got off easy somehow. Herry growled in annoyance. He had challenged Archie to a game of _Mutant Mayhem VI_ to see who got stuck with dish duty. Which ended up being him. He should have known Archie was the unbeatable champion in the dorm. The only one who could even come close to beating him was (no surprise), Atlanta.

Archie made his way up to his room for his nightly stretches. His back had been giving him trouble for the past few days.

_"That's what you get for holding on to metal when a crazy god of time shoots electricity down it,"_ he told himself.

Archie walked into his room and closed the door with his foot. At first glance the room resembled that of a normal teenaged boy. Semi-clean (what teenager actually keeps his or her room perfectly clean?), at least you could see the floor. A bookcase stood up against the far left wall. A single bed sat under the window on the wall immediately facing the door. A bedside table sat on the left side of the bed. On the right side of the room sat a small desk used for homework and writing. A closet stood beside the desk. And inside that closet was the biggest, well hidden skeleton out of any in the dorm. Two months ago shone the spot light on Archie's family life. He had been exposed as the richest teenager at the Brownstone. Theresa was the second.

Archie had shoved that skeleton back into the closet where it belonged. That wasn't his life anymore. His life was here, with his friends and the immortals. He was a hero now, there was no time to dwell on the past. Archie pulled off his jacket and began to pull of his shirt when a knock came on the door. Archie pulled his shirt back on and opened the door. A very timid Theresa stood outside.

"Can...can I...talk to you?"

Archie stepped to the side and opened the door wider. Theresa walked in.

"What's wrong?" Archie asked.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you back at the school. I know it was just a vision and I shouldn't have over-reacted like that. I'm sorry," Theresa apologized.

"I don't really blame you for freaking out. I mean, if I was in your shoes and had a vision that freaky I wouldn't be able to trust anyone," Archie explained.

Theresa looked up at her friend. Archie smiled.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's done and gone. Water under the bridge, right?"

"Funny hearing that from the hero who's afraid of water."

"Hey. I have my reasons. And, besides...it's not completely irrational," Archie explained, crossing his arms. Theresa chuckled and shook her head.

"Deny it all you want, Arch. We know the truth," she said.

With that final comment, she headed back out the door. Archie closed the door and sighed.

"Drama queen. Blowing everything out of proportion," he muttered.

The Warrior grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He was late in doing his stretches, but friends were more important. Archie walked over to his desk where he kept his iBlaster and iPod. He hit the "shuffle" button and waited for the music to start. Ironically, the first song was _A Wonderful World_. With a sigh, Archie pulled his left arm across his chest, wincing slightly as the scarred tissue pulled back in protest. He hummed along with the music.

_The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.  
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.  
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky,  
Are also on the faces of people going by._

Archie quietly sang along with the next part of the verse.

_I see friends shaking hands saying, "How do you do?"  
They're really saying, "I love you."_

Archie released his arm and slowly bent down. The song ended and another song came on. He wasn't really paying any attention to the lyrics to figure out what was playing. It was probably one of the songs Atlanta had put on as a joke and he had never gotten around to taking it off. Archie stood up straight again. He lifted his arm over his head and bent it back.

_"One...two...three..."_

His concentration was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash. Archie ditched his work out and ran to the window. Two cars had collided with each other. It didn't look like anyone was hurt, but hero instints kicked in and Archie ran for the door, grabbing his shirt and jacket on the way.

He was half way down the stairs when Jay and Herry came running.

"What happened?" Jay asked.

"Car crash," Archie replied.

The three boys ran outside. The driver and passenger of the car that got T-boned were being lifted into an ambulance. Archie didn't give paramedics enough credit, they got there faster than usual.

"Hey, kids, stay back."

"That woman's trapped inside!" Archie yelled, pointing to the car responsible for the collision.

The woman was unconscious and was trapped between the seat and steering wheel.

"Get the jaws of life!" a police chief yelled.

Jay looked up at Herry. The Brawn nodded his understanding. He tapped the firefighter on the shoulder. The man turned around.

"I can get her out."

"Get real, kid. You're not strong enough to pull that mess apart."

"Just give him a chance," Jay pleaded.

The man sighed and then allowed Herry access. He ran over to the car and pulled open the door.

"We're going to get busted," Archie whispered to Jay.

"Hera will understand," Jay whispered back.

Herry made sure his body was covering the easily bent steering wheel. The woman fell forward into Herry's arms. She was pale and cold. Paramedics rushed over.

"You're pretty strong, son."

"I work out a lot," Herry replied, panting for breath.

"You must have the strength of Hercules, then."

Herry chuckled nervously. Of course, he knew it was a joke. It was just ironic someone who didn't know him should say he had Hercules' strength. The paramedics lifted the woman on to a stretcher.

"Let's get her out of here."

As the two medical officals wheeled the stretcher over to the ambulance, Herry made his way over to where Jay and Archie were. "Good job, Herry," Jay encouraged.

"Thanks. I hope no one saw that," Herry admitted.

"If they did they would just think you're the world's second strongest man," Archie said. Herry watched as the ambulance drove off.

"Something wrong?" Jay asked.

"I'm not sure. The woman didn't look well. She was far too pale and she was freezing cold," Herry explained.

Jay and Archie looked at each other.

"Don't worry about it, Herry. The doctors will take care of her," Jay assured.

"I hope so."

"Come on, let's go back inside. We can have a movie night if you want."

"I'll get the popcorn," Herry said. He ran back inside.

"That cheered him up," Archie commented.

When the Warrior and Leader walked through the door, everyone had already gathered in the living room. The smell of popcorn drifted in from the kitchen.

"So, what movie are we watching?" Archie asked.

Neil held up a movie case without taking his eyes off his mirror. Archie took the box and read the title.

"_The Shadow_?"

"It's a really creepy horror movie," Atlanta spoke up. "I've seen it, like, twenty times. It's awesome."

Archie and Jay looked at each other again.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a comedy," Jay confessed.

Odie flipped through the DVD collection. He slipped out another case.

"How about _Evan Almighty_?" he asked. That received cheers of approval.

"Me and Arch can always watch _The Shadow_ later," Atlanta said.

Archie moaned as he made his way to the kitchen. Herry was dumping popcorn into a bowl. A number of empty chip bags littered the table.

"Hey, Archie. Can you bring the chips? My hands are already full with the popcorn and drinks," Herry explained.

"Sure thing."

Archie grabbed the two chip bowls and followed Herry back out to the living room. Odie had just started the movie. After placing the food and drinks on the coffee table, Herry and Archie sat down. Atlanta immediately snuggled into Archie to get more comfortable. He put his arm around her shoulder, ignoring the smiles from the others. So, he had fallen in love with Atlanta. Big deal. The movie started and everyone turned their attention to the TV. The previous events now lost in time.

* * *

A little short, I know. But, that's it for this chapter. Let me know what you think.

Another **disclaimer**: I don't own _Evan Almighty_. I don't know if _The Shadow_ is an actual movie I just came up with it.


	5. Ch 4: The Shadow

_It wasn't supposed to end like this. They were still seven, still a team. He ran through the empty streets of what remained of New Olympia. Buildings burned, the streets were littered with debris, car alarms rang out into the unnaturally cold night._

_His heart raced as he searched for them. Just one of them. Mostly her. She had become his whole world. He couldn't breathe properly without knowing she was with him._

_"Help!"_

_He stopped in his tracks. He knew that voice._

_"Help! Anybody! Someone help me!"_

_"Atlanta!"_

_Archie took off in the direction of the cry for help. "Atlanta?!" he screamed._

_"Archie! Help!"_

_"Keep calling. I'm almost there."_

_Atlanta began to cry. It had to be bad for her to cry. Archie rounded a corner and saw her. Atlanta was kneeling in the middle of the road, clutching her side. Her laser crossbow lay in pieces on the ground. She looked up. Her brown eyes shining with tears._

_"Archie! Help me! He'll be back any minute!"_

_Archie ran forward. He was almost at Atlanta's side when someone suddenly blocked his way. Archie's eyes widened when he recognized the gravitational sword, the blade gleaming in the fire light._

_"Jay?" Archie breathed in disbelief._

_Jay didn't answer. He just glared at the person in front of him _

_"Jay? Are you okay?" Archie asked. _

_"Archie," Atlanta sobbed._

_"Hold on, Atlanta. Jay, you gotta let me through. She needs help," Archie pleaded._

_"She is no longer vital to the team."_

_Archie felt like his right leg had been crushed again. _

_"Wh-what?" he stammered._

_"She is a liability. We don't need someone who runs off and disobeys orders, only to get themselves injured," Jay explained. _

_Archie couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was Jay. It looked liked Jay, it sounded like Jay, but it didn't _talk_ like Jay._

_Archie stepped back and slipped out his whip. _

_"Jay, what's gotten into you?" he asked._

_"Common sense, Archie. I told you people to take care of Cronus. But what did you do? You let him escape and _now_ look what's happened!" Jay yelled. _

_"Jay, you're not making sense. This isn't you. You wouldn't call one of your own teammates a liability," Archie said, his voice shaking with on coming tears. _

_Atlanta's sobs began to fade. _

_"Atlanta, please, hold on," Archie begged. _

_He turned back to who he thought was his leader. _

_"Jay, please! We have to get her to Chiron," he begged. _

_Jay's face darkened._

_"Chiron's dead, Archie."_

_"You can't kill an immortal, you moron." _

_Suddenly, Archie found himself in Jay's tight grip with a blade to his throat. _

_"_Never_ talk to your leader like that. Or you just might find yourself in the same state as the Olympians," Jay hissed. _

_He released Archie and walked over to Atlanta. She slowly looked up. Her eyes were glazed._

_"No," Archie breathed as Jay began to raise his sword. _

_"Jay, no!"_

_Jay lifted the sword above his head and brought it down._

"Atlanta!"

Archie shot up in bed. His skin was beaded with sweat and his breathing was rapid. He was back at the dorm. It had been a dream. A very real and scary dream. Archie buried his face in his hands. Even though it had only been a dream the things Jay had said still rang clearly in his head. Jay would _never_ call one of his teammates a liability...would he?

A thought suddenly came to mind. Archie pulled the covers off and jumped out of bed. He ran out of his room and down the hall to Atlanta's. As luck would have if, the door was slightly open. Archie quietly pushed the door open a bit more to allow him access. He slipped into the room and crept over to the bed. Atlanta was sound asleep. Archie breathed a sigh of relief. She was still with him.

Atlanta stirred a small bit and the sheets slipped down. Archie pulled the sheets back over Atlanta's shoulder. A small smile slided across her face as she snuggled under the warm blankets. Knowing that Atlanta was safe and sound, Archie made his way back to his own room.

"Late night stroll?"

Archie turned around to see Jay leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed and an unreadable look on his face.

"Just...checking to see if Atlanta was okay," the Warrior whispered.

"Bad dream?" Jay asked.

"Kinda," Archie answered. "But, it's nothing."

Jay raised an eyebrow.

"If it's 'nothing' then why did you have to see if Atlanta was okay?" he asked.

Archie looked at the floor.

"In the dream we lost her," he replied softly.

Jay's eyes widened a small bit.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be. It was just a dream."

"Just like Theresa's vision was just a vision?"

_"Hopefully,"_ Archie thought.

If his dream ended up coming true like most of Theresa's visions he was going to have a heart attack. He respected Jay and would follow him to the deepest, darkest part of Hades. But, if he ended up harming Atlanta, Archie would turn his whip against Jay in a heartbeat.

"Arch? You okay?"

Archie shook his head. "Yeah, just thinking."

"About what?" Jay asked.

"Bed," Archie replied. Jay laughed softly.

"Yeah. It's late and we have training tomorrow. Good night, Arch," he said before going back to his room.

"'Night, Jay," Archie replied.

Jay's bedroom door closed. Archie was left standing in the hall with nothing but his thoughts. And those thoughts drifted back to his dream. Something had not been right with that Jay. Archie tugged on his shirt collar. He also couldn't get _The Shadow_ out of his head. Atlanta had been wrong, it wasn't _that_ scary. But, why was that movie nagging him so much?

_"We don't need someone who runs off and disobeys orders, only to get themselves injured."_

Archie shook his head. Jay _wasn't_ going crazy. He was obsessive and paranoid, yes, but not crazy. Feeling not all that tired, Archie went downstairs to the living room. _The Shadow_ case was still sitting on the coffee table. Archie walked over and picked it up. He turned it over and read the summary. Suddenly, he felt silly. This movie had absolutely _nothing_ to do with his dream. Archie tossed the case on to the couch and went back upstairs. Seconds after Archie had left the eyes of the person on the cover flashed red.

* * *

That was fun. But your opinion is what counts. Tell me what you think.


	6. Ch 5: Two Down, a Whole City to Go

**A/N**: I am so glad you're all enjoying this story. I update as quickly as I can so that you're not waiting to see what happens next. I'm one of those people who can't stand cliff-hangers. There are a lot more surprises in store.

_Italics_ in first part of chapter is "the shadow"'s thoughts.

* * *

Its power was growing, though it had never felt this powerful before.

_These mortals must possess some sort of power_

The shadow snaked its way through the streets of the city. New Olympia these mortals called it. Delicious is what the shadow called it. A never ending supply of nourishment. The shadow had just had its first meal in centuries, and already its original power was returning. Two mortal girls came walking down the street.

"A shame they couldn't save that poor woman."

"I know. Her husband must be heart-broken. He's Greek, you know."

"Well, he'll make sure she has a proper burial. My father's Greek and he performed the burial ceremony for my mother when she died."

The shadow crawled into the path of the young mortals. One of them stepped on to it. She stopped a few feet after doing so.

"You okay?" her friend asked.

"I'm fine. I just got a headache all of a sudden."

The two mortals walked on. The shadow sank, unnoticed, under the girl's skin.

* * *

The next day at school, Archie had to fight to stay awake during classes. Already he was developing a headache from being whacked in the head by Mr. Hutching's Math text book. Biology wasn't any different. It wasn't _his_ fault he kept having nightmares about his teammates going berserk.

"Archie? Archie. Wake up, boy!"

Archie snapped awake. Ares was glaring down at him. It was _never_ a good thing to make the god of war angry. Ares crossed his arms. Archie took that as the signal to get back to training or else start dodging lasers.

"If I catch you sleeping in training period again you'll be dodging Zeus's lightning."

Archie found himself wide awake at that threat. He took off down the track. Ares took out a small remote and pushed a button. Suddenly, lightning bolts shot down from the ceiling. Archie picked up the pace as the lightning struck closer to his feet.

"You said if I was caught a second time!"

"I lied."

Archie jumped to the side as a streak of white light shot the floor to his left.

"Consider this dodging practice," Ares told his student as the boy ran past him.

_"No kidding,"_ Archie thought. _"I am _never_ making Ares mad again."_

The doors opened and Jay walked into the gym.

"Hi, Mr. Ares. Uh...why is Archie trying to out run lightning bolts?" he asked.

"Good afternoon, Jay. Archie's receiving a crash coarse lesson in weapon dodging," Ares explained.

"But, those aren't weapons. They're lightning bolts," Jay pointed out.

"And completely harmless," Ares added.

Just as he said it, Archie was hit in the back. He fell to the floor. Jay gasped and ran to help his friend. Archie tried to push himself up, but it was like his muscles had decided to go on holiday.

"Need a hand?"

Archie looked up. Jay was standing over himwith his hand out stretched.

"And a spine," Archie moaned.

Jay laughed and bent down grabbed his teammate's arm. Archie moaned.

"What's in those bolts?"

"Those, boy, are stunning bolts. Zeus would have my head if he found out I was lobbing real lightning at you," Ares explained.

"That's good to know. That they're stunning bolts," Archie added quickly.

Ares let the comment slide to the hero's relief. The god of war turned to Jay.

"What brings you here, Jay?" he asked.

"Miss. Hera let me out early," Jay answered, helping Archie sit down.

Seeing that there was more to Jay's excuse, Ares crossed his arms. Jay looked at the floor.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to Archie."

Ares nodded and left the gym. When he was gone, Archie began the conversation.

"What's this about?"

"You know Stacey? From History class, right?" Jay asked.

"Yeah," Archie replied.

"Her parents found her dead this morning," Jay replied.

Archie's heart skipped a beat.

"Wh-what? D-dead?! But...but, how?"

Jay shrugged.

"Lara said, through ear breaking screeches of sorrow, that Stacey had been complaining about headaches all night, last night. Apparently they had a sleep over," he said after seeing Archie's confused look. "Anyway, that's not the weird part. Remember what Herry said about the woman he pulled out of that car?"

"Yeah. He said she was pale and cold."

"And the same thing happened to Stacey."

Archie was lost for words. Stacey had rarely been sick. To hear her complain about something as simple as a headache was strange. After a while, Archie managed to find his voice.

"What happened to the woman Herry helped?" he asked.

Jay's face darkened with even more sorrow.

"She past away."

"Oh," was all Archie could manage.

"Archie, I'm scared. What if this is a pandemic that Cronus has unleashed?" Jay asked.

"He plans to take over the world by making it sick?" Archie pondered. "That's not his style."

"But what if it is?" Jay asked. Archie moaned.

"I don't know, Jay. This doesn't seem like Cronus material."

"Still, we have to check it out," Jay told Archie.

"Jay, you're being _way_ too obsessive of the guy. If it _was_ Cronus, the gods would've told us by now," Archie explained.

"We don't need permission to investigate, Arch," Jay said.

Archie rubbed his temples. _He _was beginning to develop a headache. And it was standing right in front of him.

"I'll tell Ares we're going to investigate," Jay said. He headed out of the gym.

"If he starts shooting lightning at me again I'm blaming you!" Archie called after him.

He groaned. He was too tired for this. He just wanted to crawl into his bed and sleep for the next two days. But no, Jay had to go and drag him out for no reason to investigate something Cronus probably didn't even start. But, since when did that stop Jay?

_I told you people to take care of Cronus. But what did you do? You let him escape and _now_ look what's happened_

Archie shook his head. Jay wasn't going crazy. He was just obsessive and paranoid.

"Keep telling yourself that, Archie," the Warrior whispered to himself as he got to his still shaky feet and made his way out of the gym.

* * *

Chapter five, ladies and gentlemen. I know you're probably getting sick of me saying this, but...what do you think?


	7. Ch 6: Too Cold for Comfort

**A/N**: I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story. I know I didn't do that great a job in **Truth be Told**, considering I didn't mention a great deal about the truth part. I might end up re-writing some of the chapters. Anyway, glad you're all enjoying **Inner Demons**.

_Italics_ - a creature's thoughts (try and guess what ;) )

* * *

Archie glanced down at his PMR. The date read March 15.

"Beware the ides of March. Great," Archie muttered sourly.

Who knew a stupid classroom note would end up being right? He trudged through the woods outside the city. It was dark, is was cold, and it was down right pointless. Archie kicked a rock that was lying in front of him.

"Jay and his big ideas. It's cold enough to skin a griffin and Jay wants us to search for something Cronus probably didn't even stage."

Archie growled. He walked on. He didn't notice a small shadow lurk out from underneath the rock that he kicked.

_This one is special_

Archie sighed. There was nothing out here. He pulled his hood up and shoved his freezing hands into his pockets as he headed back to the truck. The others were already there.

"Find anything?" Jay asked.

Archie blinked.

"What do you think?" he asked. "I told you this was a waste of time."

"Archie's right, Jay. This doesn't seem like something Cronus would do," Theresa said.

"That doesn't mean we can let our guard down," Jay pointed out. "This thing kills. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Theresa stiffened as another vision hit her.

"Theresa, are you having another vision?" Jay asked.

"I don't know," Theresa replied as she rubbed her head. "I didn't see anything."

"Nothing?" Odie asked.

Theresa shook her head.

"That's weird," Atlanta commented.

"Can we go back to the dorm, now? This cold isn't good for my skin," Neil said.

Herry unlocked the truck and the team climbed in. He started the truck, shifted it into drive and stepped on the gas. The truck headed back for New Olympia, the woods fading off in the distance behind them.

* * *

The drive home was quiet. Jay and Theresa sat up front with Herry. Neil, Odie, Atlanta and Archie shared the back seat. Archie had a window seat and was currently staring up at the sky. Atlanta, who was sitting next to him, gently touched his mildly scarred left hand. She frowned. His hand was colder than usual.

"Archie, are you okay?"

"Hmm? I'm fine."

"You're freezing," Atlanta whispered, not wanting to alarm the others, especially not Jay.

"I'm just cold from being outside," Archie reasoned.

He slipped his hand into his jacket pocket. Atlanta didn't press the matter any further. Archie was on edge all of a sudden.

Herry pulled the truck into the Brownstone's garage.

"Welcome home," he said, turning the engine off.

Everyone climbed out and headed inside.

"Who wants hot chocolate?" Theresa asked as everyone walked into the dorm.

Five hands went up. Theresa looked at Archie with a confused look. He had never turned down an offer for hot chocolate before.

"Arch? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The fresh air just made me tired," Archie replied. He turned to Theresa. "Thanks anyway, but I'll pass."

He headed up to his room. "That dude needs to work on his exits," Neil commented after Archie had left.

"Maybe he's sick," Herry said.

"Herry, Archie doesn't do sick," Odie pointed out.

"Archie's never turned down hot chocolate before, even in the summer," Herry replied.

"Maybe he's love sick," Neil said in a dreamy voice and lend close to Atlanta.

"Get real, Neil," Atlanta instructed, pushing the blond away from her. "Archie doesn't do any kind of sick. Even love sick."

But, she couldn't help but worry. Stacey and the car crash woman had both become extremely cold before they met Charon. That, and they had become pale. But, Archie had always been pale.

"I'm going to check to see if he's okay," Atlanta said.

She made her way up to Archie's room.

When she got there she knocked on the door. A moan answered. Atlanta opened the door and slipped in.

"Archie? Are you feeling okay?" she asked, walking over to the bed.

"Yeah. Just a little cold, that's all."

Atlanta sat down on the bed. She gently touched Archie's cheek. A cold shiver shot down her spine. He was far too cold.

"Arch, do you want me to get you some hot chocolate? It might warm you up a bit," Atlanta offered.

"Okay," Archie replied.

Atlanta got to her feet and made her way downstairs.

Theresa was in the kitchen mixing mugs for the team.

"Theresa, can you make some for Archie?" Atlanta asked.

"Sure," Theresa replied. She opened the cupboard and pulled out another mug. "Changed his mind, did he?"

"Sort of. He's still a bit cold from the night's excursion," Atlanta explained.

Theresa mixed another mug of the steaming hot chocolate treat for her cold friend. When it was done, she handed two mugs to Atlanta.

"Thanks."

The red-haired Huntress made her way back to Archie's room. When she stepped inside, Atlanta felt her heart stop. Archie wasn't moving.

She rushed over and placed the mugs on the bed side table.

"Archie?" Atlanta said, grabbing his shoulder. "Archie?"

She shook her friend. A moan escaped Archie's throat. He turned over.

"What? I'm sleeping."

Atlanta breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't scare me like that," she said. "I brought you some hot chocolate."

Archie pushed himself into a sitting position and took one of the mugs. Atlanta touched his cheek again. At least he warming up. Archie took a hold of Atlanta's hand and kissed it.

"Did I tell you that I love you, recently?" he asked.

Atlanta shook her head.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Arch."

Atlanta sat down beside him and cuddled into him. He had warmed up a lot in the last few minutes.

_"Achilles magic,"_ Atlanta told herself.

Being the descendant of Achilles not only meant that Archie healed faster than everyone else, but it also meant he could never get sick. Which was a blessing and a curse on his part. A blessing because he never had to go through the joys of having a cold, but a curse in that, as a child, he had been considered a messenger from Hades. A child of darkness.

Soon, Archie had warmed back to his original temperature. Nothing was going to happen to him. Atlanta promised herself that if anything _did _happen to him, she would travel to the Underworld to bring him back. But, right now, she was enjoying being in his presence and knowing that he was still with her.

* * *

I'm not saying anything. You know what I'm going to say. And I have no comment on who's going to end up being infected.


	8. Ch 7: Dreams and Shadows

The shadow slithered out of another mortal's house. It was the home of a man, his wife, and their two children. The young ones had been easy prey, sound asleep in their beds. If they were lucky they would survive to see the sunrise. They didn't possess the ability to fight off the demons of the night, the demons the shadow controlled. If mortals couldn't fight they perished. So far, not one mortal had been able to do so. The shadow snaked its way down the street. A brown stone building lay in front of it. Two mortals, a boy and a girl, were standing on the roof. The boy had light brown hair and was wearing a purple and yellow striped shirt. The girl had long orange hair and was wearing a red sleeveless shirt.

"Come on, Jay, you have to relax."

"How can I relax when people are dying, Theresa? This isn't normal."

"Since when is anything in our lives normal anymore?"

"Archie's been acting different ever since we checked out the woods."

The shadow's senses perked. A boy with a light blue sweat suit and purple hair flashed in its memory. Had part of it found a worthy mortal?

"Jay, Archie's fine. You know him. He can't stay down for more than two seconds."

"Still. Atlanta said that he had been cold."

"Yeah, from being outside for half hour."

The boy shook his head.

"I don't know, Theresa. This is starting to scare me. That woman was one thing, Stacey was another. It's hitting too close to home. If whatever is causing these deaths strikes one of you..." The boy held the girl's shoulders. "I don't know what I'd do."

"Jay, you don't have to worry. We've fought killer diseases before, remember?" the girl asked.

Just then, another boy came out on to the roof. The shadow also knew this one. It was the strong one from the car crash.

"Movie's starting."

"We'll be right there, Herry," the light brown haired boy replied.

The strong mortal went back inside.

"Come on, Jay. Enough of this brooding. It's not healthy. You're not Atlas, you know."

"Sometimes I feel like I am."

The girl, Theresa, took the boy's, Jay's, hand and led him inside the building. The shadow had found its next meal.

* * *

_The city was nothing but rubble. Cars and debris littered the once lively streets. Everything had happened so quickly. One minute they were fighting Cronus, the next they were scattered and fighting for their lives. A small whimper came from beside him._

_"Shh, Atlanta. It's okay."_

_Neil swallowed hard. He knew Archie was just trying to calm his sobbing girlfriend down, but Atlanta had the right to be scared. _She_ was still out there._

_Taking out his mirror, Neil used it to slowly scan the world outside their hiding place. The left mirror caught a flash of orange. Neil shot back into hiding._

_"Come out, come out, wherever you are."_

"Like that's gonna happen," _Neil thought. _

_Footsteps echoed like gun shots in the quiet street. Archie and Atlanta held each other close as the slim shadow of their friend appeared before their secluded sanctuary._

_"I know you're close. I can sense you."_

_Archie's adamantium whip shone an electric blue as he slipped it out of his pocket, preparing himself to fight if need be. Neil slid further away from the opening of the hole. A lucky thing to, because the opening was blasted wide open. Neil, Archie and Atlanta covered their faces from the debris. Neil glanced up. The silhouette of Theresa stood in the homemade doorway. Neil grabbed Archie's arm to keep him from charging._

_"Neil, you weren't trying to hide our friends from me, were you?"_

_Neil felt himself move in front of Archie and Atlanta. _

_"You already took Herry, Odie, and Jay. You're not getting Archie and Atlanta," he said. _

_Where were these words coming from? Theresa snickered._

_"_You_? Stop _me_? Don't be stupid, Neil! I have the power to strike you down where you are!" she said._

_"Tell me something I _don't_ know," Neil muttered._

_Theresa's eyes shone a dark purple, signalling that her aura had once again taken control of her. A scythe appeared in her hand._

_Neil's grip tightened around Archie's arm when he felt his friend jerk forward. _

_"Theresa, maybe we can talk about this," the blond offered._

_"I gave you the chance to talk," Theresa replied, stepping closer._

_"_After_ you destroyed the gods!" Archie yelled._

_"I gave you the chance to be a god yourself, Archie! I could have made you immortal!" Theresa shrieked._

_"I would rather _die_ than to take that offer from a _witch_!" Archie spat._

_"A witch, am I?" Theresa asked, eerily calm._

_Archie's body suddenly tensed. _

_"Archie?" Neil asked. _

_"Stop! Stop it!" Archie gasped._

_"Say hi to Jay for me," Theresa told him._

_Archie's eyes closed and he fell to the ground._

_"Archie? Archie!" Atlanta cried._

_Theresa turned to Neil. _

_"And now, pretty boy, it's your turn," she said, raising the scythe._

_"Theresa..."_

"No!"

Neil fell out of bed. He shot up into a sitting position. The model looked around. He caught his reflection in one of his many mirrors. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"It was just a dream."

Neil got to his feet and ran his fingers through his golden hair.

"A very real and extremely horrifying dream," he mumbled.

A sudden panic attack struck him. Neil ran out of his room.

"I'm telling you, Atlanta, it's not that scary."

"What would you know about scary?"

Neil literally ran into Archie as he ran down the hall. He fell back on the floor.

"Neil? Are you okay?"

Neil rubbed his head and looked up. His face lit up with a huge smile.

"Archie! You're okay!" he exclaimed.

"And, what am I okay from?" Archie asked in a confused tone.

Neil jumped to his feet.

"I thought Theresa did you in," he said. Archie and Atlanta looked at each other.

"Theresa? Did me in? Neil, did you hit your head when you fell?" Archie asked.

"It's a little late to be hanging out in the hall, isn't it?"

Theresa walked up.

Neil instinctively jumped in front of Archie.

"Neil, what are you..."

"Her aura's gone crazy again," Neil said.

Theresa glanced at the Warrior and Huntress. They could only offer a shrug.

"Neil, did you hit your head?" Theresa asked.

"That's what I said," Archie put in.

Theresa narrowed her eyes. The air suddenly seemed to grow cold. Archie shivered.

"See?! She's making it cold!" Neil cried.

"I am not, Neil! Something else is," Theresa defended.

Suddenly, they heard Odie's cry for help.

* * *

_He had been fine ten minutes ago. They had been winning the training match. When and how did it go wrong?_

_Jay moaned in pain beside him. Odie placed a comforting hand on his leader's shoulder._

_"Odie...are the...others okay?" Jay gasped._

_"I...I hope so, Jay. Man, do I ever hope so," Odie replied softly. _

_He turned back to the library doors. The large oak doors burst open. Odie bit his tongue to keep from screaming._

_"I know you're here."_

_Odie peeked out from behind one of the bookcases. His pursuer was holding a familiar object. Odie quickly recognized the electric blue glow of Archie's adamantium whip. His worst fear had come true. Another one of his friends was gone._

_"You can't hide him forever."_

_"_But, I can try_," Odie thought._

_"Archie was very kind to let me borrow his whip. He put up a pretty good fight trying to keep it, but..."_

_The blond trailed off._

_"At least he's with Atlanta, now. His heel got the better of him."_

_Jay gasped in pain. Odie held his breath as he heard Neil turn towards their hiding place._

_"It's a shame, really," the model continued. "Archie went down protecting his dear leader. As did Herry, and Atlanta...and Theresa."_

_Jay gasped again. _

_"Theresa's...she _can't_ be!"_

_"Jay, shh," Odie whispered._

_"Yes, Jay. Your beautiful Theresa's with her ancestor, now," Neil replied._

_"No," Jay breathed._

_Odie placed a hand on his shoulder. He heard the whip being released._

_"Odie, how about we make a deal? Hand over Jay and I'll make your end nice and swift," Neil said._

_"Nice deal. But, I think I'll pass," Odie replied._

_"Have it your way."_

_Odie shot his head down and covered Jay with his body as the bookcase was sliced in two. Books showered down on the two remaining heroes._

_"Hand him over!" Neil yelled._

_"Never!" Odie yelled back. _

_He pulled out a black pellet and threw it at Neil. The small object hit the floor and smoke shot up. While Neil was blinded by the smoke, Odie grabbed Jay and headed for the back door._

_"Odie, we...have to go back."_

_"Jay, you're in no shape to fight."_

_"Have to help...Neil."_

_"Neil is _beyond_ help, Jay. I'm sorry."_

_Jay hung his head._

_"I've failed," he whispered._

_"What?" Odie asked._

_"I've failed. I've failed everyone. I've failed you, the gods, Herry, Atlanta, Archie, Theresa, Neil...everyone. Jason should be ashamed to call me his descendant," Jay said._

_"Jay, stop talking like that!" Odie scowled. "You didn't cause this. You're not responsible. You can't be prepared for the unexpected. You didn't fail anyone!"_

_Jay looked at the Brain and smiled._

_"That sounds like something Theresa would've told me," he said._

_"When you live under the same roof with six other people for three years you're bound to pick up some things," Odie explained._

_The two boys made their way to the portal. _

_"Where are we going?" Jay asked._

_"This place isn't safe. We have to get you somewhere no one can find you," Odie explained. "Somewhere safe so you can heal."_

_"You won't get through the portal!"_

_Odie and Jay swung around. Neil was standing behind them, Archie's whip clenched in his fist. The chain was glowing fiercely._

_"Neil, you don't want to do this," Odie said._

_Neil swung the whip. The blade flew towards his former teammates. _

Odie let out a scream of horror.

"Odie! Odie, wake up!"

Odie shot up into a sitting position. His friends were standing around his bed, worry written on their faces, even Neil's. Odie's eyes fell on his leader.

"Jay!"

Jay suddenly found himself being pulled down into a hug.

"That must've been one heck of a nightmare," he said.

Odie released Jay. "I thought we had lost you again," he breathed.

Jay patted the youngest hero's shoulder.

"No worries, Odie, I'm not going back to Hades anytime soon," he replied.

No one noticed a small shadow slip out of the room.

* * *

Wow, that was long. I thought I would never finish. Anyway, you know what to do.


	9. Ch 8: Pandemic

**A/N**: I'm pleased to hear that you all are enjoying this story. I have been notified of a spelling error. Apparently I had spelt the name of Archie's whip. Thank you faithful reviewer for pointing that out to me. I have made the necessary changes to it. Anyway, on to chapter 8.

* * *

"This is getting too weird. First Theresa has a vision that Archie was possessed. Then, Neil dreams that Theresa's aura had gone AWOL again. And then Odie dreams that Neil went crazy. Is there some connection here?" Atlanta asked.

The seven friends were eating lunch in a half-full cafeteria. Theresa, Neil and Odie had come clean about their visions/dreams. Archie had remained silent. His dream hadn't been about any other teammate, it had been about their _leader_. Jay would only get defensive and angry if Archie came forward with what his dream had been about, so the Warrior kept his mouth shut. The only thing he did confess was that Atlanta had been killed in the dream, which had happened.

Archie looked out over the cafeteria. The school had been getting more and more quiet lately. No one seemed like themselves, even Bruce. Three days since the "ides of March" note and everything was going downhill. Two days ago, a husband and wife had lost their two kids. New Olympia was now looking at a pandemic. More and more people were falling ill, the hospitals had quickly ran out of rooms, and the doctors were almost pulling their hair out they were so frustrated. Absolutely _no_ one had _any_ idea what was causing this.

And then it had hit Olympus High.

Students began to dwindle, the halls became less crowded, everyone was on edge. Archie couldn't help but think of poor Stacey. She had been the first from Olympus High to receive a one-way trip to the Underworld. Since then, four more students had lost their lives. It seemed like the only place that was safe anymore was the Secret Wing. Hera had ordered that the seven heroes were to be moved to the Secret Wing. If one of them ended up getting infected what was left of the world after this plague would be at Cronus' mercy.

"We have to talk to Chiron," Jay's voice sang in Archie's aching mind.

He wouldn't admit it, but right now the very sound of Jay's voice was like angels singing to Archie. It told him that Jay was still Jay. He was still the leader they all knew and respected (and in Theresa's case loved).

"If we hurry we can talk to Chiron and be back in time for afternoon classes," Jay said.

The friends got up and walked out of the cafeteria. Atlanta took out her pendant and placed it into the keyhole. The door opened and the friends walked in. Atlanta slipped the chain over her head as she walked into the janitor's closet. Herry pulled the chain to activate the portal. The door swung shut and the bare wall lit up in a mystical blue portal.

Walking into the main chamber of the gods, horrified shrieks could be heard coming from Aphrodite's room. There was a loud crash in the gym, meaning Ares was mad at something. In Hermes' office he could be heard muttering quickly to himself. Hercules could be heard mumbling something about Herry. It sounded like Persephone was crying about Theresa. Artimes was saying how wonderful a student Atlanta had been. And Hera was saying Jay would never abandon his team.

"I think they think we're dead," Theresa observed.

"What did you expect? Four students are dead," Archie replied.

Suddenly, the gym doors burst open and Ares emerged.

"Archie!"

"Hi, Ares," Archie greeted with a friendly smile and a wave.

Just then, Persephone came out of her solarium.

"Theresa, dear!" she cried for joy.

"Hi, Miss. Persephone," Theresa replied.

Soon, all the gods were gathered around the children.

"I was so worried," Aphrodite told Neil.

"For a minute I had somehow forgotten you couldn't get sick," Ares confessed to Archie.

"It happens," Archie told his mentor.

Hera pulled Jay to the side.

"Is something wrong, Miss. Hera?" Jay asked.

"Have you found out who's responsible?" Hera asked.

"We...well, mostly _I_ thought that Cronus was behind this," Jay replied.

Hera nodded. "I can understand why," she said.

"But, now, I'm not so sure. I mean, Cronus doesn't know about the school," Jay explained.

"Indeed he does not. Which is why this is so serious," Hera told her student. "This school is protected from any creatures from the ancient times."

"Ancient times? You think whatever is causing this is from the ancient world?" Jay asked.

"It seems familiar, somehow," Hera answered. She shook her head. "Of course, I _have_ been wrong before."

"We'll find out what's causing this sickness, Miss. Hera," Jay promised.

"If you do please be careful. Archie may not be able to get sick, but you and the others can," Hera reminded the Leader.

"I'd be in Hades for three thousand years before I let my team get infected," Jay swore. "We'll find this thing and stop it."

"Then, may the gods be with you," Hera said.

Jay walked back to his team. Hera sighed.

"Be careful, Jay," she whispered.

* * *

All was quiet, save for the occasional dripping of water from the ceiling. Cronus sighed. He was reading another mortal written book.

"These mortals and their ideals. Good guy wins, bad guy loses. Always the same story," he growled.

_"Unless, of course, the bad guy has help."_

Cronus sat up straight. "Who said that?" he demanded. "Who's there?!"

_"A friend."_

A thick black shadow crawled out from under a rock.

"Aw, Shadow, how long has it been?" Cronus asked.

_"Not long enough, Cronus. But, I need your help,"_ the shadow hissed.

"Really? And what is that?" Cronus asked.

_"I need to know something about seven certain mortals,"_ the shadow replied.

"Seven? You mean Jay and his friends?" Cronus asked.

_"Yes. They are not like other mortals."_

"Indeed not. They are descendants of seven well known heroes. Jay, the descendant of Jason. Odie, the descendant of Odysseus. Herry, the descendant of Hercules. Atlanta, the descendant of Artimes. Archie, the descendant of Achilles. Theresa, the descendant of Theseus. And, the lucky fool, Neil, who is the descendant of Narcissus," Cronus explained. "Now, tell me, why are you so interested in these mortals?"

_"They can restore my true power."_

"Ah, yes. You _are_ the master of such things, aren't you? Brutus was your best so far," Cronus commented.

The shadow hissed.

"Calm down, old friend. I won't get in your way for power, if you don't take my powers in the process," Cronus said.

_"It's a deal."_

And with that, the shadow snaked away.

"I hope those kids know what they are in for," Cronus said.

* * *

Uh oh. Cronus gets involved now. What do you think?


	10. Ch 9: Lean on Me

**A/N**: Glad everyone is enjoying the story. I'm afraid there won't be much AxA in this chapter. Sorry. As much as I love Archie and Atlanta, I want to focus on Jay and Theresa. You'll know why ;) . Read and review.

_

* * *

 _

_This was really weird. The school hadn't been _this_ quiet before._

_"Hello? Theresa? Neil? Odie?"_

_"Herry?"_

_Herry opened one of the lockers._

_"Neil? What are you doing in there?" he asked._

_"Hiding," Neil whispered._

_"From who?" Herry asked._

_"He's gone psycho, I tell you!" Neil cried in a whisper._

_Herry looked at the blond with a confused look._

_"If you ask me, _you're_ the one who's gone psycho," the Brawn said._

_He walked off. Neil jumped out of the locker and ran after Herry. He wasn't going to be left behind. Not with _him_ on the loose._

_Olympus High was a ghost school. He wasn't _that _late for classes was he? Herry walked through the dead halls. Neil bumped into his back._

_"Neil, what is going on?" Herry asked._

_"He up and did everyone in," Neil whispered._

_"He? Cronus?" Herry guessed._

_"No," Neil replied. "Cronus doesn't know about the school."_

_"Then...who..."_

_"Good afternoon, Herry."_

_Herry and Neil swung around._

_"Odie?!" the Brawn exclaimed._

_Neil yelped and ducked behind Herry again._

_"Odie, you..._you_ did this to the school?" Herry asked._

_"Took you long enough," Odie spat. "But, yes. I did. You like it?"_

_"Dude, you wasted everyone," Herry pointed out._

_Odie looked around at the empty hall._

_"It was for the best," he said, his voice not carrying any trace of regret or sympathy. "It was getting too crowded. So, I decided to free up space."_

_"By bumping people off?" Herry roared._

_Odie only shrugged. "Survival of the fittest. Or, should I say, survival of the _smartest_?" he asked._

_Herry cracked his knuckles. He didn't want to hurt Odie. But, he had hurt everyone, including the team. Wait..._

_"Where's the team?" Herry asked._

_"They're...safe," Odie answered._

_That was something Cronus would say._

_"Where are they?" Herry demanded._

_"If you're really so interested, I'll show you," Odie said._

_He took out a remote and pushed a button. A trap door opened and Herry and Neil fell through. Where the trap door came from Herry didn't know. Nothing in this place made sense anymore. The two friends landed in a dark room. The only light came from an electric blue light. Herry frowned. That light looked familiar. He reached out to see where the light was coming from, but his fingers swept across scarred tissue. Herry felt his blood run cold. There was only one person he knew who had scars that bad._

_"Archie?"_

_The darkness seemed to clear. The lifeless form of Archie lay before Herry. A blade caught the reflection of the dim light. Herry knew that blade. The darkness slid away again to reveal a lifeless Jay. Something had hit him hard. A deep gash was torn down his right side and back. Herry turned back to Archie. The Warrior's ankle brace lay in pieces and a deep gash was torn through his heel. Neil's scream shot out. Herry turned to see what he had screamed about. His heart stopped. His teammates, his friends, were all dead. Every one of them showed signs of fighting something deadly._

_"Well, Herry? What do you think? Which is better? Brawn? Or brains?"_

_Herry looked up to see Odie standing on some kind of platform over looking the chamber._

_"What did you do to them?!" the Brawn demanded._

_"I showed them their worst fears. Apparently, it was too much for them," Odie explained._

_"I _told _you he was insane!" Neil yelled at Herry._

_"Insane is an understatement," Herry replied._

_Odie pushed another button on his remote. A roar echoed throughout the chamber. Neil ducked behind Herry as a huge Chimera stalked out of the shadows._

_"Have fun," Odie said. He disappeared into the shadows._

_Herry could only squeeze his eyes shut as the snake tail struck._

Herry's eyes shot open. He was still in bed, his teddy clenched tightly to his chest. The sun peeked through the magically enhanced window in Hercules' room. Herry sat up and rubbed his eyes. What a nightmare.

"I'm telling you, Hermes, there has to be some connection between these dreams and this pandemic."

Herry threw off the blankets and headed for the door. He opened it and saw Odie and Hermes out in the main hall.

"Good morning, Herry," Hermes greeted.

"Hey, Herry," Odie added cheerfully.

Herry sighed in relief. Odie hadn't gone insane.

"Good morning."

Odie frowned. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Bad dream," Herry answered.

"About what?" Hermes asked.

Herry shyly looked at Odie. The Brain gulped. He shakily pointed to himself. Herry nodded.

"What did I do?" Odie asked.

"Same thing that happened in everyone else's dreams," Herry replied.

Odie whimpered.

"Instead of using magic or weapons you used a Chimera," Herry explained.

The main doors opened and Jay walked in. Herry had never been so glad to him in his life.

"Good-morning," Jay said.

"'Morning," Herry answered.

Jay noticed the horrified look on Odie's face.

"What's happened?" Jay asked.

"Herry had a dream that Odie..."

Hermes ran his index finger across his throat.

"...Everyone."

Jay looked from Herry to Odie then back to Herry.

"This is getting serious. First Theresa, then Neil, then Odie and now Herry."

Jay ran his fingers through his hair.

"How's Archie?" Herry asked.

"Not good. He's becoming more paranoid by the minute," Jay replied. "He reaches for his whip every time I get too close to Atlanta."

"What's that about?" Odie asked.

"I'm not sure," Jay admitted, shrugging.

"Archie's the only one who hasn't said anything about his dream," Hermes pointed out. "Yes, he said that Atlanta was killed, but he failed to mention the killer."

Jay's eyes clouded. "I think I know who it was," he whispered.

Odie and Herry looked at their leader.

"Jay, you can't possibly think..."

"Odie, think about it. Something's been eating Archie ever since he had that dream," Jay explained.

"Yeah, but..."

Odie trailed off.

"It could have been Cronus, Jay," Herry suggested.

"Then why does Archie act like I'm going to strike Atlanta?" Jay asked.

Hermes looked thoughtful.

"Something wrong?" Odie asked.

"This all seems familiar," Hermes said thoughtfully.

He flew off to his office, leaving the three boys alone in their confusion.

"Now, I'm _really _scared," Jay said, sitting down on the circular couch. The shadow of Zeus's golden statue lumed over him.

Odie and Herry sat down on either side of him.

"Come on, Jay, be reasonable. If Archie _did_ have such a dream he would have told us," Odie reasoned.

Jay sighed. He didn't know what to think anymore. Two more of his classmates had fallen ill and three more had died. What was this thing getting at? Jay buried his face in his hands. He wanted to go out and confront Cronus, but he also knew that if anyone of them stepped outside the Secret Wing they would most likely be the next victims. Jay moaned in frustration. Was this how Theresa felt when her aura had taken control? Angry and frustrated? But, Jay wasn't angry at the gods, he was angry with himself.

_"Or _am_ I angry with the gods?"_ Jay asked himself. _"Oh, stop it, Jay! You're a leader! You can't be thinking these things!"_

The oak doors suddenly burst opened and Theresa stormed in.

"I can't live like this!" she yelled. "I need air!"

"What's wrong?" Herry asked.

"I feel like I'm suffocating, that's what's wrong," Theresa answered.

Her anger immediately melted when she saw a very depressed Jay.

"Of course, it...could be worse."

Theresa walked over to Jay.

"Jay? Are you feeling okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Images of Jay's frustrations slammed into her like a flash flood.

_"How can I protect my team when I don't even know what to protect them against?!"_

_"I can't even defeat Cronus, let alone something no one can see!"_

_"Why can't the gods just tell us what it is and tell us how to stop it?!"_

Theresa pulled away with a gasp. Odie and Herry were looking at her with worried expressions. Jay's shoulders began to shake. His teammates looked at him. Was he...crying? Jay had never let anyone see him shed a tear. Except for when they thought Theresa was dead.

"Jay?" Theresa whispered.

Jay's sobs became more clear. Theresa knelt down in front of him.

"Come on, Herry," Odie said softly.

Odie and Herry made their way out of the room. Theresa took a seat beside her distressed leader. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Let it out," she soothed, rubbing his back. "It's okay to cry. They say crying is healthy."

Jay wiped his eyes and looked at Theresa.

"I'm a leader. I have to be strong for the team. Crying shows weakness," he said.

"Crying shows you're human," Theresa replied.

Jay's brown eyes began to fill with tears again. He turned away. Theresa embraced him in a tight hug. Jay turned and wrapped his arms around her. Theresa felt warm tears fall on to her shoulder.

"None of this is your fault. You can't be prepared for the unexpected. You're a great leader, Jay, don't let anyone tell you different," the psychic whispered, cuddling into Jay's chest.

Jay held Theresa close to him. Her hair smelt like strawberries from the shampoo she used. He didn't feel so frustrated when she was in his arms. All his cares and worries melted away. Whenever he was around the orange-haired psychic he didn't feel the need to act like a leader, more like a normal teenager. Theresa had taught him to enjoy his life while not hunting down Cronus. She had taught him it was okay to go sailing every now and then to clear his head. Most importantly, she had taught him how to lean on others for help, and that he was only human and that it was okay to cry, like right now.

Jay kissed Theresa's head. Theresa looked up with a smile. Jay smiled back. His hypnotizing brown eyes still shining with tears. Theresa lend forward and kissed Jay on the lips.

"You're welcome," she whispered.

* * *

 It's done. Chapter 8 is done! Anything need improving?


	11. Ch 10: A Shadowy Confrontation

_"Italics" _are memories. Just plain italics are the shadow's own thoughts.

* * *

_"I can't even defeat Cronus, let alone something no one can see!"_

Frustration. It was one of the many main emotions that channelled the most energy. It was so much easier to control a mortal when they were angry, scared or frustrated. But the mortal whose words thrived from was so well protected. The shadow hissed in annoyance. Its red eyes narrowed at the strange building that lay before it. Immortal energies flowed from the building. School, some of the maturing mortals called it. The shadow had taken a few from this place, but it sought the seven Special Ones.

_"It's cold enough to skin a griffin and Jay wants us to search for something Cronus probably didn't even stage."_

The shadow had been right in going to Cronus for answers. The purple-haired one, Archie, was brimming with anger.

_"Why can't the gods just tell us what it is and tell us how to stop it?!"_

_"I told you this was a waste of time."_

Both Archie and Jay showed such strong, powerful emotion. One was angry, the other frustrated.

_"None of this is your fault. You can't be prepared for the unexpected. You're a great leader, Jay, don't let anyone tell you different."_

The shadow recoiled from the female voice. It was that orange-haired female, Theresa. Love could be stronger than frustration.

_It seems I will have to eliminate that factor from each mortal. But, not tonight._

The shadow snaked away from the school. It would have its meal some other night.

* * *

_"Now, this is just plain creepy."_

_Atlanta walked down the path leading to the Hall of Judgement. She didn't even remember seeing Charon, or the boat ride to the Gates of Hades. She could, however, remember Archie's final, gentle kiss. Was she really dead? This all seemed so...surreal. _

_Atlanta finally came to the Hall. She frowned in confusion._

_"Where is everybody?"_

_The Huntress made her way down to the Hall of Judgement. There were no souls, no screaming, no yelling from Midas. Atlanta looked around. Where was King Midas? She heard a groan coming from behind the tall desk. Atlanta rushed over to see who it was._

_"King Midas? Are you okay?"_

_Atlanta helped the king up. _

_"Who did this to you?" she asked._

_"Tall man...brown hair...strong as Hercules himself," Midas moaned._

_Atlanta gasped. It couldn't be. _

_"Where did he go?" she asked._

_"Hades'...palace," Midas replied._

_"Are you okay to stay on your own?" Atlanta asked._

_"I'm fine. But, if he gets to Hades, the Underworld, and the surface, will be at his mercy."_

_Atlanta ran off towards the palace. She only hoped she wasn't too late. They had a run in with what the Underworld could do if Hades wasn't in charge when Cronus stole the Helmet of Darkness and sent Thanatos after them. Archie ended up getting dragged off and nearly buried alive inside one of Cronus' giant hour glasses._

_Atlanta ran up the stairs and came sliding to a sudden halt. Everything was shrouded in a thick shadow. _

_"Hades?" Atlanta called. "Hades, you here?"_

_"Atlanta, how nice of you to drop in for a visit."_

_The shadow suddenly disappeared and Atlanta was met with a horrifying sight._

_"No. It can't be. Herry?"_

_An evil smile crossed Herry's face. This wasn't the Herry Atlanta knew. The old Herry wouldn't hurt a fly, except if that fly tried to hurt one of his friends. This Herry was cold and merciless._

_"I wasn't expecting company. I would have tidied up a bit if I knew you were coming," Herry said._

_"You know me. Always dropping in unexpected," Atlanta replied. How she wished she had her laser crossbow right now._

_"I'm actually glad you're here, Atlanta. You can witness the dawn of a new Underworld after I take Hades' power," Herry explained._

_"You don't have that kind of power," Atlanta pointed out._

_"I don't, do I?" Herry asked. His shadow suddenly lifted up and turned into a figure-less shadow creature whose eyes were a fierce red. _

_Atlanta stepped back. Herry smirked. He bent down and grabbed Hades._

_"Herry, please, don't do it!" Atlanta begged. _

_The creature shot down towards the king of the Underworld. Everything was consumed in shadows again. Atlanta tried to steady her breathing as she searched the darkness. Behind her, two fierce red eyes opened. Atlanta froze when she felt cold hands on her shoulders. It was a good thing she was already dead, because she would've died right then and there._

_"Now, nothing will stop me from my true target."_

_"True target? What are you talking about? Hades wasn't enough?"_

"Atlanta?"

_"You can't control that kind of power!"_

"Atlanta!"

_"Herry!"_

"Atlanta! Atlanta, wake up!"

Atlanta's eyes shot open. Grey-blue eyes were staring down at her. Atlanta looked around. Her other teammates were looking at her with expressions of confusion. Expect in Herry's case it was more an expression of fear. Atlanta sat up.

"You okay? You fell pretty hard," Archie said.

"I what?"

"We were in the middle of a one-on-one combat training match when you suddenly blacked out," Archie explained.

"That would explain the killer headache," Atlanta said.

"You fell so quickly I didn't have time to grab you," Archie confessed, a little embarrassed.

Atlanta smiled and took his hand. "It's okay, Archie," she assured.

"It's not that I'm worried about," Archie replied. He looked from Atlanta to Herry.

"It was the same as the others. Only, this time, it was Herry. And, instead of being controlled by an aura he was controlled by this...I don't know...shadow, I guess," Atlanta explained. "The shadow stole Hades' power and said something about a true target."

"Sounds like when Theresa's aura went berserk," Odie commented.

"That was _not_ my fault," Theresa defended, crossing her arms.

"Still, this is getting more and more serious. We have to stop this thing before it reaches its target," Jay explained.

"Only one problem," Neil pointed out.

"And what's that?" Jay asked.

"What's its target?" Neil replied with a question.

"We have to see Chiron. Maybe he knows something about this...shadow," Jay suggested.

* * *

"I am sorry. But unless you can give me more than just 'shadow', I am of no use."

"It can steal power from immortals," Jay said.

"An aura," Chiron answered, glancing at Theresa.

The psychic looked away.

"No, it wasn't an aura, it was a power stealing shadow," Jay explained. He was getting frustrated again. Chiron knew something about this. But, the stupid centaur just wouldn't tell them what it was.

"I am sorry, Jay. But, if you can get me a sample of this 'shadow' I might be able to tell you what it is exactly," Chiron replied.

Jay growled. "How are we supposed to catch a _shadow_?" he spat.

Chiron frowned at him. "Careful, Jay, such emotions can trigger something we never knew we had," the centaur warned.

"Right. I'll keep that in mind," Jay muttered. He stalked out of the room, Theresa following close behind.

"That was completely _useless_."

"Jay, lighten up. We'll ask Odie if he has any ideas," Theresa suggested.

Just then, Neil ran up. Horror written on his face.

"You guys, come quick!"

"What's the matter?" Jay asked.

"It's Archie. He's having some kind of fit," Neil said.

The three friends ran for the training gym.

Everyone looked up when the doors were thrown open. Theresa gasped. Archie was lying on his back, eyes squeezed shut and his body jerking as if something was trying to get out. Herry had a firm grip on his arms and Odie was trying to keep his legs still.

"When did this start?" Jay asked, walking up beside Ares.

"A few seconds ago. Archie was complaining about a headache and I told him to go sit down. But, when he moved he collasped," the god of war explained.

Archie's back arched. A thick, black shadow rose up from his body. Everyone stepped back, even Herry and Odie.

"I think we've just found that sample Chiron was asking about," Theresa told Jay.

"Catch it! Don't let it escape! And whatever you do, _don't_ let it back into Archie!" Jay yelled.

Herry dove for the shadow, but the thing just slipped through his grasp. Atlanta shot rapid laser arrows as the shadow sailed through the gym.

"Theresa, do you think you can control it?" Jay asked.

"I can try," Theresa answered.

She turned her focus on the shadow. She narrowed her eyes. A frustrated and angry voice suddenly echoed through her mind.

_"It's cold enough to skin a griffin and Jay wants us to search for something Cronus probably didn't even stage."_

Theresa gasped. "Jay, it's Archie!" she cried.

"What?" Jay exclaimed.

"It's...it's like his aura," Theresa replied.

"That's just not right," Atlanta commented.

Theresa concentrated harder. Archie let out a scream of pain.

"I'm sorry, Archie," Theresa apologized. "Jay, I have to let it back into him."

"No!"

"It's the only way to contain this thing!" Theresa shouted.

Jay growled. The shadow perked up and shot its fierce red eyes towards the Leader.

"Jay, control yourself!" Ares shouted.

The shadow shot down towards Jay.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Theresa snapped. She sent the shadow flying back into Archie.

The Warrior's body gave a final jerk before falling limp. Theresa collasped from exhaustion. Jay caught her in his arms. Atlanta fell to her knees beside Archie.

"Archie?"

She slid his hair out of his face. Archie took a deep, raspy breath. He coughed. His eyes flickered open.

"Did I tell you that I love you recently?" he whispered.

Atlanta smiled and shook her head.

"I love you," Archie breathed.

"I love you, too, Arch. And, please don't scare me like that again," Atlanta said.

Archie smiled weakly. "Deal."

His eyes closed and he lost consciousness again.

* * *

Whew. That was fun to write. What do you think?


	12. Ch 11: Taming of the Shadow

**A/N**: A bit of a heads up. I should have mentioned this and I think it's a little strange. Atlanta is the descendent of Artemis, not Atalanta. I found it rather weird that Polyphemus called her "young Atalanta" in **Eye for an Eye**. In the opening theme of COTT it shows Atlanta and then Artemis. When Cronus shows Polyphemus the heroes he calls Atlanta "Artemis". Why Polyphemus ended up calling her "Atalanta" is beyond me. Hera also says she is the descendant of Artemis in **Chaos 101**. I've done my research, trust me. I wouldn't be putting this up if I wasn't sure of myself. Sorry for the mix up in this story.

* * *

"Chiron, we found you your sample," Jay said.

"Excellent. May I see it?" Chiron asked.

Jay stepped to the side and Herry walked up with a still unconscious Archie in his arms. Chiron looked at Jay with a confused look.

"I'm not kidding, I swear," Jay promised.

Herry laid Archie on the couch. He moaned.

"Theresa?" Jay said.

Theresa walked over and sat down on the couch. She took a deep breath, placed her hands on either side of Archie's head and closed her eyes. Echoes of his memories and thoughts drifted into her mind. She searched for something, anything that would give her access to the shadow. Suddenly, she hit something.

_"Jay?" Archie breathed in disbelief._

_Jay didn't answer. He just glared at the person in front of him "Jay? Are you okay?" Archie asked. _

_"Archie," Atlanta sobbed._

_"Hold on, Atlanta. Jay, you gotta let me through. She needs help," Archie pleaded._

_"She is no longer vital to the team."_

_Archie felt like his right leg had been crushed again. "Wh-what?" he stammered._

_"She is a liability. We don't need someone who runs off and disobeys orders, only to get themselves injured," Jay explained. Archie couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was Jay. It looked liked Jay, it sounded like Jay, but it didn't _talk_ like Jay._

_Archie stepped back and slipped out his whip. "Jay, what's gotten into you?" he asked._

_"Common sense, Archie. I told you people to take care of Cronus. But what did you do? You let him escape and _now_ look what's happened!" Jay yelled. _

_"Jay, you're not making sense. This isn't you. You wouldn't call one of your own teammates a liability," Archie said, his voice shaking with on coming tears. Atlanta's sobs began to fade. "Atlanta, please, hold on," Archie begged. He turned back to who he thought was his leader. "Jay, please! We have to get her to Chiron," he begged. Jay's face darkened._

_"Chiron's dead, Archie."_

_"You can't kill an immortal, you moron." _

_Suddenly, Archie found himself in Jay's tight grip with a blade to his throat. "_Never_ talk to your leader like that. Or you just might find yourself in the same state as the Olympians," Jay hissed. He released Archie and walked over to Atlanta. She slowly looked up. Her eyes were glazed._

_"No," Archie breathed as Jay began to raise his sword. "Jay, no!"_

_Jay lifted the sword above his head and brought it down._

Theresa was thrown back as a shadow shot out of Archie's body. Its fierce red eyes searched the study. Everyone stepped back when the shadow looked at them. Herry stepped in front of Jay to keep the Leader from the shadow's sight. Theresa pushed herself up. The shadow sank back into Archie. 

"Take him to Persephone," Chiron ordered. "She will know what to do."

 

* * *

 Persephone was watering her plants when the doors of her solarium opened. The goddess turned around and saw the young heroes. She began to worry when she saw Archie in Herry's arms.

"What has happened?" Persephone asked.

"We're not exactly sure," Atlanta answered.

"We need your help to determine something," Jay added.

Persephone showed Herry where to lay Archie.

"Now, what exactly has happened?" the goddess asked again.

"We think Archie's aura has gone out of whack," Jay replied.

Persephone sat down above Archie's head and gently placed her hands on his temples. Immediately, Archie began to moan and squirm. A hiss escaped his throat.

_"Persephone."_

The shadow slowly lifted itself from Archie's body, but still kept part of itself connected to its host.

"Here is your sickness," Persephone announced.

"_That_ thing?" Theresa asked.

"Archie's been infected?!" Atlanta cried.

"It is a sickness that is attracted to strong emotion. Like, sadness, anger, but mostly frustration," Persephone explained.

"So, that's why it went for Jay," Odie said. "He must have been showing way too much frustration."

Theresa took a hold of Jay's arm.

_"This boy is mine, Persephone."_

"This boy is under the protection of the gods," Persephone told the shadow.

_"Your spells won't work now. This mortal belongs to darkness."_

The shadow disappeared into Archie again. Archie began to wake up. He looked around.

"What's going on?" he asked. "How did I get here?"

He looked up and saw Persephone sitting over him.

"Am...I in trouble?"

Persephone sat back and allowed Archie to sit up.

"We're _all_ in trouble," Odie said.

Archie rubbed his head and looked at his friends. "Does this have anything to do with what happened in the gym?" he asked. The others looked at him with surprised expressions.

"You remember that?" Atlanta asked.

"It's the only thing I _can_ remember," Archie replied. "Everything after that is just blank."

"What about the gym incident do you remember?" Jay questioned.

Archie looked thoughtful. "I remember getting a really bad headache all of a sudden. Ares told me to sit down, but as soon as I moved something snapped and I blacked out. I remember having this strange attack, it got even worse when you and Theresa came in. After that, I couldn't control anything, it was like something else had taken over completely."

The Warrior shivered. He held his head.

"When Theresa pierced whatever it was that had taken control, it was pain I had never felt before."

"I'm sorry," Theresa apologized.

"You children should get some rest. Especially you, Archie," Persephone instructed.

Hera walked into the room. "The dorm has been secured. You're are free to return," she told the heroes.

Atlanta helped Archie to his feet and the friends headed for the portal.

* * *

"Is there any way to tame this thing?" Jay asked.

The heroes were back at the Brownstone and had gathered in the living room. Archie kept himself distant from the others, for obvious reasons.

"I'm not sure," Theresa replied.

"I'm willing to try anything," Archie put in.

"If you're going to go through with this, maybe it's a good idea if Jay left the room, or the dorm altogether," Odie suggested.

"Why?" Jay asked, his sharp tone making Archie wince.

"Jay, you're under a lot of stress. This thing eats off of that sort emotion," Atlanta explained.

Herry got to his feet and walked over to the Leader. He swung his arm around Jay's shoulders.

"Come on, while Archie and Theresa train, you, me, Neil, and Odie can have a guys night," he offered.

Jay sighed. He didn't want to put his team in danger of getting infected. It still wasn't clear as to how Archie had ended up getting "sick". Jay crossed his arms and his face darkened.

"I'll use my powers on you if you don't do it," Theresa threatened good heartily.

Jay smiled and chuckled.

"In that case, where are we going?" he asked Herry.

"Excellent," Neil commented.

The four boys headed for Herry's truck.

"Now, that they're out of the way, let's start training," Theresa said.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Atlanta asked.

"If I can't control this 'shadow aura' it might end up infecting any one of you," Archie explained.

Theresa sat down on the coffee table opposite of where Archie was sitting on the couch. She placed her hands on either side of his head.

"Close your eyes and concentrate," she instructed in a soft voice.

Archie did as he was told. He could feel his anger concentrate into one place, one being. He winced in pain and suddenly grabbed Atlanta's wrist.

"Don't lose focus, Archie," Theresa said.

"I...can't...hold it..."

Theresa was blasted back by the shadow. Atlanta found herself entangled in one of the creature's tenticles.

"Let-go!" she yelled, trying to pull herself free.

Archie's eyes shot open. The shadow roared in pain.

"That's enough!" Archie shouted.

The shadow released Atlanta and swung around to its host. Archie got to his feet. From the glare of its host, the shadow sank to the floor. Theresa scrambled away from it. Archie's breathing was rapid. He took out his whip.

"Don't make me use this," he warned.

"Unbelievable," Atlanta whispered.

First try, a complete success. But, then again, when Archie got angry you didn't mess with him, even if you were a shadow. Theresa got to her feet as the shadow seemed to quiver in fright. What was going on? Was it that Archie was finally getting over his paranoia from the dream? Or was it that the shadow was losing power? It didn't look as black as it did back at the school.

"Why is it acting like that?" Atlanta asked.

"It must be losing some of its power," Theresa guessed.

_"Half,"_ the shadow hissed.

"Half?" Atlanta echoed.

"Half of what?" Archie asked.

_"Only half,"_ the shadow replied.

"Only..."

Archie trailed off.

"Uh oh." 

"What?" Theresa asked.

"This is only half of the disease," Archie replied, pointing to the red eyed shadow that had taken up refuge in the table's shadow.

"There's more?" Theresa asked.

"There has to be. Unless Archie's gone around infecting everyone at school," Atlanta pointed out.

Archie crossed his arms. Theresa looked at the two pleading red eyes on the floor. They looked up at her, begging for mercy. It knew its power was fading, that it was dying. Anger fed its power and its host simply wasn't angry enough at the moment. Theresa felt almost as helpless as the dying creature at her feet. She knelt down.

_"Please, kind mistress...I was only doing...what was in my nature,"_ the shadow said.

"What abilities do you possess?" Theresa asked.

Archie and Atlanta looked at the psychic.

"Theresa, you can't be serious. This thing is part of the pandemic," Atlanta reminded her friend.

"Not anymore. It's a part of Archie now, not the main disease. It's been tamed already, but it still needs strong emotions for food," Theresa explained. "But, how it was tamed is beyond me."

_"Master's love for red-haired mistress,"_ the shadow whimpered in a small voice.

Archie and Atlanta glanced at each other.

"Love?"

Theresa smiled and chuckled. She looked up at Archie.

"Well, it looks like your feelings for Atlanta came in handy again, Arch," she said.

"Okay, so, we've found out that love is stronger than anger, but what does that have to do with this thing's abilities?" Atlanta asked.

"Well, it could enhance Archie's fighting skills," Theresa suggested.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Archie asked.

"It means, it could give you a killer right hook," Atlanta replied.

Theresa looked back at the fading shadow.

_"Leader will be displeased,"_ it whispered.

The door opened.

"We're home," Jay called.

The shadow hissed and disappeared into Archie's shadow.

Jay, Odie, Herry and Neil walked into the living room.

"Any success?" Neil asked.

"Actually, yes," Theresa answered.

"That was fast," Herry noted.

"It's really not that hard to tame a shadow," Archie insisted.

"Let's hope so," Jay said.

Archie frowned. Jay seemed different somehow. The Warrior heard the shadow hiss in his mind. He shook his head. He was just tired and paranoid. Both of those combined didn't do wonders for the mind.

"It's late and we have school tomorrow, I think. But, anyway, it wouldn't hurt to go just in case there are classes," Jay said.

The heroes made their way to their rooms. As Archie walked past Jay, the two locked eyes. A shiver ran down Archie's spine. Jay was definitely different.

"What?" Jay asked.

"Nothing. Uh...'night, Jay," Archie said before running up the stairs.

"Good night...traitor," Jay hissed.

* * *

I never thought I would finish. So, tell me what you think.


	13. Ch 12: Depression Sinks In

_"This mortal belongs to darkness."_

Archie tossed and turned in his sleep. His breathing was rapid.

"No. Don't."

The door opened slightly.

"Please. Don't hurt them."

"Archie?"

"Is he having another attack?"

Suddenly, the alarm went off. Archie's eyes shot open and he let out a cry of surprise when he saw Herry and Neil standing over him.

"Wh-what are you guys doing in here?" Archie gasped.

"We heard you moan and thought we might see if you were okay," Herry replied.

Archie sat up and rubbed his eyes. Another week had come and gone, and the nightmares still wouldn't let up. Olympus High had been closed two days ago due to three more student deaths. Like shutting the barn door after the horse got out. The seven heroes now knew what their mystery sickness looked like. A normal, everyday shadow (with revengeful red eyes). Yeah, that was a shadow one saw everyday.

"Dude, if you keep waking up like this you're going to lose what's left of your body weight," Neil said.

Archie looked down at his pajamas. Once again, they were soaked with sweat. This had become a habit lately. As was his hawk-like tracking on Jay. Ever since that night Theresa had managed to pull the shadow out of Archie without sending him into a coma, the Warrior had been keeping a careful watch on the Leader. Something wasn't right with him. Jay had become a master at acting like everything was fine. But, Archie couldn't get the look Jay had given him out of his mind. Jay's eyes had been cold and distant, like Jay didn't exist anymore.

"You okay, Arch?"

"Yeah. I'm fine, Herry," Archie replied. "I was just thinking."

"So, _that's_ what I smelt burning. I thought it was just Odie's cooking," Neil joked.

"Very funny, Neil," Archie said.

The Charm smiled in satisfaction. Archie looked at his clock. The time read quarter past one in the afternoon.

"No one bothered to wake me up sooner?"

"You had a rough night, last night," Herry answered.

"Brunch is ready," Theresa called up to the three boys.

Herry's eyes lit up at the mention of food.

"You guys go on down, I'll catch up," Archie told Herry and Neil.

The Brawn and Charm headed downstairs. Archie threw his blankets off, climbed out of bed and went to his closet.

"I really need to clean this out."

He pulled a shirt from a hanger and rummaged through the papers on the floor for a clean pair of shorts. He _really _needed a chest of drawers. He pulled out a pair of shorts out from under the plastic tub he kept in the closest to keep some of his clothes. Archie sighed when he saw the shape the shorts were in. Laundry worthly, no doubt.

_"Looks like I'm wearing jeans."_

Archie opened the tub and pulled out a pair of jeans.

"Gotcha!"

Archie let out a yelp of surprise as he was yanked backwards.

"Good morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning, Atlanta."

Atlanta chuckled and playfully ruffled Archie's hair.

"Hey, come on, I still need to comb that," Archie joked.

"But, you look so much cuter with your hair in a mess," Atlanta teased in a baby voice.

"Oh, you're gonna get it."

Archie ditched the clothing he was holding and dove for Atlanta. She shrieked as Archie tackled her to the bed. When Atlanta hit the bed her arm accidentally hit the bedside table and sent Archie's brace crashing to the floor. The noise not only startled Archie and Atlanta's wrestling match, but it brought the others running into the room. Archie lend over the side of the bed to see what had fallen. The golden brace lay in three pieces on the floor.

"Uh oh."

"Archie, I'm _so_ sorry," Atlanta apologized.

"I'm sure Heph can fix it. Don't worry about it," Archie told her.

"Arch, you know better than any of us that you can't go anywhere without that brace," Odie pointed out.

"Yes, Odie, thank you for that," Archie said, somewhat annoyed.

"I can take you to the school if you want," Herry offered. "But...after brunch."

Archie chuckled. "Thanks, Herry," he replied.

Deciding that no one was attacking the dorm, Jay, Odie, Neil, Herry and Theresa made their way back to the kitchen. Archie slid off the bed and picked up the pieces of his brace.

"Are you sure it's okay?" Atlanta asked.

"Atlanta, relax. It's not like someone is going to shoot a poisoned arrow through my heel," Archie answered.

"True," Atlanta agreed.

Archie stood up, picked up his backpack and dropped the pieces into the bag.

"Now, you want to go eat, or stay here and watch me dress?" he joked.

Atlanta mocked a thoughtful look.

"Atlanta."

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Atlanta said. She jumped off the bed and headed out the door, closing it behind her.

Archie shook his head. He walked over and picked up the shirt and pants. This had been an interesting start to what was left of the day.

* * *

"Who made this?"

"Why?"

"Can you fix it?"

"I can fix it, sure. But, whoever made this brace doesn't know one thing about metal works. This can come apart way too easily," the god of fire explained.

"I know," Archie replied. "That's the second time that thing's broke."

"When was the first time?" Hephaestus asked.

"Halloween," Archie answered. "Hecate's crazy owl literally went through the roof and dropped me. Thanks to the fall that stupid brace snapped and I ended up twisting my ankle."

Hephaestus winced. "Ooo, I bet that hurt," he commented.

"'Hurt' is an understatement," Archie told the god.

Hephaestus picked up the broken pieces of the brace and threw them into the forge.

"Hey!"

"I'm building from scratch here, boy. I'm the god of fire and the forge. Leave it to me," Hephaestus said.

Atlanta led Archie out of the forge.

"That's just great. _Now_ what am I supposed to do?" Archie asked.

"We could always have a race," Atlanta said.

A sly smile crossed Archie's face.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked.

Atlanta crossed her arms. "You know what pizza I like, right?" she asked.

Archie laughed. "What makes you think_ I'm_ buying?" he asked.

Atlanta took off in a red blur.

"That," she called from the gym.

"No fair, that's cheating!" Archie called after her.

Aphrodite giggled with joy as she watched the two friends.

"Those are so perfect for each other," she squealed in delight.

"If only Archie can keep his mind on his training whenever Atlanta is around he could probably be better than Achilles," Ares said.

Aphrodite huffed. "You just have to ruin a perfectly good moon, don't you?" she asked. With that, she stormed back into her room. Ares groaned.

Archie and Atlanta were head to head. This was always how their races ended up, a tie. Atlanta had promised that she wouldn't use her super speed and the Warrior and Huntress would always end up tying. Suddenly, obsticles shot up from the track. The two friends cried out in surprise as they jumped over the mechanical hurdles.

"Just thought I'd liven the race up."

"Theresa!" Archie and Atlanta yelled.

Hurdles continued to shoot up. Jay walked up.

"Who's winning?" he asked.

"It's a close tie," Theresa answered.

Jay walked as Archie tried to keep up with Atlanta. It was apparent that his bad heel was getting to him. Archie noticed Jay's observance. The two locked eyes. That same cold shiver shot down Archie's spine the same time a sharp pain shot his right leg. He tripped over his feet and collapsed to the hard track. Atlanta slid to a stop and ran back to Archie's side. Theresa ran to help as well. For some reason, Jay headed out of the gym, horror shining in his eyes.

"Something's wrong with Jay," Archie moaned as he grasped his ankle.

Theresa gently touched it. "Congratulations, Arch, you're the proud owner of another broken ankle," she announced.

"How?" Atlanta asked.

"I didn't trip..."

Archie trailed off. His eyes flickered with anger. "Jay," he hissed.

"Jay didn't do anything," Theresa insisted.

"Jay's been acting funny ever since 'guys night'," Archie pointed out.

"Archie, you're being paranoid," Atlanta said.

Theresa helped Archie to his feet, slinging one of his arms around her shoulder. Atlanta got up and took Archie's other arm and put it around her shoulder. The two girls helped Archie to Chiron's study.

* * *

"There. Good as new."

Archie snapped on the gold brace, his throbbing heel practically sighing in relief. He felt a lot safer with his heel protected.

"What do you want on your pizza?" Atlanta asked.

Archie looked up at her. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm ordering pizza, dork," Atlanta replied.

Archie smirked. Only Atlanta was allowed to call him that. Anyone else and they were dodging his whip.

"In that case, extra pepperoni," the Warrior replied.

Atlanta took out her PMR and dialed the pizza parlor's number. She walked out of the study as someone on the other end answered.

"Now, back to the matter at hand, try not to walk on your foot so much," Chiron instructed. He trotted over to a cabnet and took out very familiar objects.

"Remember these?"

"How could I forget?" Archie asked.

They were the same crutches Chiron had given him when Agnon had literally crushed his entire lower right leg. Those were the most interesting two weeks of his life. Chiron took a hold of Archie's left arm and examined it.

"I see some of the scars are fading," the centaur noted. "Do you mind if I check your back?"

Archie glanced at Hephaestus and Theresa. The two made their way outside. Theresa closed the door behind them. Archie pulled off his shirt and turned his back to Chiron. He winced slightly as the immortal gently pulled the skin.

"Have you been doing the exercises I gave you?" Chiron asked.

"Everyday," Archie replied.

Chiron nodded his approval and trotted off. Archie got to his feet and stretched his back. He bent down and picked up his shirt. He had just picked it up when the doors opened.

"Pizza will be...oh..."

Archie froze. He could hear Atlanta stammer a few incoherent words. Archie slowly looked over his shoulder. He was okay with Atlanta barging into his room unexpectedly at the dorm, but here, it was just plain awkward. Atlanta was as red as her hair.

"I'll...just...see myself out."

Atlanta turned around and closed the door.

Archie quickly pulled his shirt on before any more of his teammates barged in. That was the last thing he needed. Archie made his way out of the study. Odie was waiting for him in the main chamber. The Brains looked up and smiled.

"Ready? The others headed back to the dorm."

"Yeah. Let's go."

Archie and Odie made their way back to the school. Walking out of the janitor's closet and stepping into the halls of Olympus High felt strange.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day when this place would be shut down," Archie whispered.

"I know," Odie agreed.

The boys made their way through the halls. The low clanking sound from Archie's brace echoed like a gun shot.

"This doesn't feel right," Odie commented, slowing to a stop.

"What is it?" Archie asked.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just paranoid from everything that's happened," Odie theorized.

Archie frowned and glanced around at the hall. A few weeks ago these halls were buzzing with life. Now, they resembled the dreariness of the Underworld. All that was missing was the darkness, the river and Charon's boat. He could feel it. It clung to the lockers, the walls, floor, ceiling, it had the entire school in its cold grasp.

"Archie?"

Archie shook his head. "I'm fine," he told a worried Odie. "Come on, let's get out of here. This quiet is starting to give me the creeps."

The heroes headed outside, which wasn't much better than inside. Archie and Odie sighed. They were supposed to be protectors of the world and they couldn't even save their city from something that only came out at night. The descendants of Achilles and Odysseus looked at each other. Their ancestors brought a city to its knees and they couldn't keep theirs from falling. New Olympia was at the mercy of the shadow.

* * *

Is anyone else feeling a little depressed because of this chapter or is it just me?


	14. Ch 13: Tempers Rising

"Face it, Arch, you're winning streak ends here."

"In your dreams, Neil."

Archie and Neil were playing _Mutant Mayhem VI_.Neil had decided it was time for a "divine" intervention (and by "divine" he meant "lucky"). Seeing as how Cronus hadn't made his presence known since this illness had struck and that school was closed, the seven heroes had a lot of free time on their hands. Neil wasn't the video game type (he always complained that the controller would chip his nails, or some other nonsense like that). But, after witnessing Odie's defeat, followed by Herry (again), Neil had decided that (with his luck) he would finally be able to dethrone the King of _Mutant Mayhem VI_. But, the only dethroning being done was in the game. Archie made his character kick Neil's character off of its throne.

"Humans always win."

"Not anymore."

Neil made his character perform a surprise attack.

"What?!" Archie cried as his character's final "heart" was taken.

"Boo ya, baby!" Neil cheered.

"How did _that_ happen?" Archie asked.

"Divine intervention, master King," Neil teased.

"Neil," Archie warned.

He hated being called "master King", especially by his friends. They knew it got on his nerves and would call him that just for the reaction, but would immediately stop when Archie would threaten them with his whip. That whip had come in handy a lot lately. Archie dropped the controller and headed for the kitchen. He would reclaim his title some other time. Let Neil have his fun. _Mutant Mayhem VI_ wasn't the _only_ game in the series.

Archie went over to the fridge and opened it. He took one look inside and sighed. Herry had cleaned it out once again. Athena wasn't going to be happy about this. Speaking of Athena, the goddess of war had been on edge lately. She didn't seemed all that concerned with the shadow as she did with Archie and (especially) Jay. The descendant of Jason wasn't acting like himself. He had consent mood swings, he would lock himself in his room and wouldn't come out unless Herry got "persuasive", and that usually ended up with Jay having to replace his bedroom door. Herry had threatened Jay that if he didn't smarten up the door would never return, or it would return, but only in the form of splinters.

"Herry!"

Archie shook his head and smiled. He closed the fridge door as a fuming Jay stormed into the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, Fearless Leader," Archie greeted good heartily.

"Where is he?" Jay demanded.

"Herry? Don't know. Why?" Archie asked, although he pretty much could guess what the big hearted human mountain had done.

"What do you _think_?" Jay spat.

The smile faded from Archie's face, only to be replaced by an annoyed scowl.

"Herry's not the only one who's fed up with your sour attitude, Jay," the Warrior said.

"And I should care because?" Jay asked.

A hiss escaped Archie's throat. He clenched his fists.

"You know, you're right. Why _should_ you care? It's not like your a _leader_ or anything and that you have a _team_ that looks up to you. You would much rather _rot_ in that stupid room of yours than to know how your _friends_ are doing. Did you know that Theresa cries herself to sleep now? I think she's ashamed she ever liked you...no, wrong choice of words...she's ashamed she ever _loved_ you!"

Archie was shaking he was so mad. He wanted nothing more than to knock some sense into the person in front of him. He wasn't so sure it was Jay anymore.

"I don't know what your deal is, Jay...or _are_ you still Jay?"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Jay demanded.

"It _means_ we don't know who you are anymore!" Archie practically screamed.

Neil cautiously peeked his head into the kitchen. He let out a small yelp. The more Archie's temper flared the more his shadow darkened. Neil ducked back into the living room and ran upstairs to the safety of his room.

"You're sulky, broody, you don't know how to have fun anymore. Not that you ever knew how before," Archie muttered.

Jay hissed which caught Archie off guard. The Warrior looked at the Leader. Jay looked like he was ready to kill, but, then again, so did Archie.

"You don't have a _clue_ what I go through, King!" Jay yelled, spitting out Archie's last name like it was something foul.

"It's hard being the leader, yes, you mention that almost every single blessed day! Cronus, the shadow, blah blah blah. I've heard it before, Reese!" Archie yelled back.

"If you've heard it all before then why don't _you_ lead this team?!"

"_Because it's not my job_!"

By this time, Herry, Odie, Theresa, Atlanta and Neil (who was hiding behind Herry) were standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Jay and Archie were ready to kill each other. Jay was gripping his sword and Archie's knuckles were white from his fists being clenched so hard. Both boys were panting for breath and staring each other down. Theresa and Atlanta looked at each other. Both shared the same horrified and scared look.

Being able to calm himself down to a point where he could breathe properly, Archie backed away slightly, but still kept his eyes fixed on Jay's. He never backed away from a challenge if Jay wanted one, but he wasn't about to put his friend's lives on the line if a full blown weapons fight broke out. Archie headed for the living room. The others parted to the side to allow him passage. Suddenly, Jay flung his sword at Archie's retreating back. Before anyone could react, Archie spun around and caught the blade in one smooth movement. Theresa gasped. Archie's eyes were glowing a fierce red. He held the blade and hilt and in one downward swing snapped the sword in half. He threw the pieces at Jay's feet and stalked off. The others watched the Warrior disappear out the front door. Jay narrowed his eyes. He knew who would be the first to go.

* * *

Not my longest chapter, but it sure was fun writing it. What do you think?


	15. Ch 14: It Begins

_Italics_ conversation within thought (if that makes sense)

* * *

Archie stormed through the empty streets. He didn't care where he was going as long as it was as far away from Jay as possible.

"Hello again, Archie."

Archie stopped in his tracks and turned around. He had somehow managed to walk across the Oracle's path.

"How is your fight with Cronus?" Oracle asked.

Archie walked up to the man, shoving his hand in his jacket pockets. "Not so good," he muttered.

"Oh? Complications, I presume?" Oracle asked.

"It doesn't matter," Archie said.

"Don't kid yourself, young hero," Oracle replied. "I see many things, Archie. And that includes your infection."

Archie looked up at the Oracle.

"And please don't ask me how I know, because that would just be a dumb question," Oracle said.

Archie sighed. "What am I supposed to do, Oracle?" he asked, his shoulders dropping.

Oracle took the boy's left hand and took off his glasses. Archie found himself staring into the mystical blue eyes of the Oracle. A cold shiver shot down his spine.

"Be cautious of the ones around you, Archie. For they will not hesitate to turn if the time calls for it," Oracle said.

A sharp pain shot up Archie's arm.

"You must learn to control your anger," Oracle continued as Archie tried to pull his arm free. "If you are not careful, the thing that you fear most will over power you."

Oracle released Archie and he stumbled back, gripping his arm. The Oracle put his glasses back on. Archie began to walk away.

"I wouldn't trust anyone if I were you," Oracle whispered.

Archie quickly walked away. When he was away from the newspaper stand, Archie slid his sleeve up. He winced. It was like every scar on his arm was outlined in black. That was the creepiest the Oracle had ever been. Archie looked back at his arm and let out a startled cry. His arm wasn't scarred, burned, nothing, it was just...black. Archie pulled his sleeve down again, not that he was afraid someone would see it, the city was a ghost town. No one came outside anymore. Archie felt something creep along his back.

_Little mortal. Little mortal._

Archie shook his head. "Get a grip, Archie, get a grip," he whispered to himself as he started walking again.

_You can't escape this time._

_"Will you get out of my head!"_

"Archie?"

Archie spun around. Atlanta ran up.

"Atlanta? Wh-what are you..."

"I came to see if you were all right. You gave us quite the scare back at the dorm," Atlanta replied.

Archie rubbed his neck. He felt the same strange creeping sensation he felt earlier. "How's Jay?" he asked, twisting his neck.

"It was like he had snapped out of a trance, he couldn't remember anything after you left," Atlanta explained.

Archie shivered.

"Arch, you okay?" Atlanta asked.

"Fine," Archie replied, fighting with the back of his shirt.

It felt like a spider was spinning its web on his back.

"Archie, are you sure you're okay?" Atlanta asked.

"I'm fine. My back's just itchy, that's all," Archie replied.

A sly smile spread across Atlanta's face.

"I can scratch it for you, if you want."

Archie began to back up. "Oh no, you don't," he said, holding his hands out.

"Come on."

"No way."

"Please?"

"Nuh uh."

"I'll do it anyway!"

Atlanta shot around to Archie's back and jumped on him. Archie locked his arms under Atlanta's knees and spun around. She threw her arms around his neck and squealed with delight along with his laughing. Everything the Oracle had said drifted to the back of Archie's mind. As long as Atlanta was with him everything was as if nothing had changed. The Warrior began heading back to the Brownstone, the Huntress still on his back. Atlanta snuggled into him, her hair brushing against Archie's face and neck. Archie lend back and gently kissed his girl on the cheek. Atlanta surprised him by turning her head suddenly and returning his kiss with one of her own, right on the lips. Nothing, not even a stupid shadow, could keep them apart.

* * *

Jay buried his face in his pillow. He was so stupid. He could have killed his best friend. The Leader shook with anger. But it was anger at himself. He had gotten worked up over something as insignificant as a door and had nearly sent his sword sailing through Archie's back. But, according to the others, Archie had caught it and snapped it. After Archie left, Herry had dragged Jay out to the backyard and had threatened to literally beat some sense into him if he ever tried to pull a stunt like that again. Jay was now officially terrified of ticking Herry off. Herry wouldn't hurt a fly, unless that fly threatened to hurt his friends. In this case, the fly was Jay, and said fly had threatened to not only hurt Archie, but potentially kill him. To threaten a friend of Herry Britton was one thing, to attempt to kill a friend and you have said person running you out of town.

Jay looked up when he heard the front door open. Laughter quickly drifted up the stairs and into the depressing room of Jay Reese.

"Come on, let's go watch a movie."

"You get it set up, I'll join you in a minute."

There were footsteps on the stairs. The heavy clank of a brace echoed in the hall. Jay still remembered that day in the gym. He had been the one who had caused Archie's broken ankle. Two days in a cast and it was like nothing had happened.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Jay? Can I talk to you?"

"If you've brought a straight jacket," Jay replied.

The door (which still showed signs of being handled by Herry) opened. Archie walked in and closed the door.

"Um...Jay...about what happened...in the kitchen? I just wanted to say..."

"I'm losing it!"

"Come again?"

"I'm going insane!" Jay cried.

"Okay, I know you're stressed about this whole thing but I wouldn't say you're insane," Archie said.

Jay looked up. His brown eyes twinkled with tears. "Archie, I almost _killed_ you!" he snapped.

"Jay, please, calm down," Archie pleaded.

Jay buried his face in his pillow again. Archie felt completely useless and helpless. He didn't know what Jay was going through, what nightmare he was living. He only knew that his friend and leader was changing somehow.

"You should go, Archie. Atlanta's waiting for you," Jay said.

Archie sighed and slowly made his way out of the room. Jay began to sob as he heard the door close.

_Just give in. Your pain will only increase if you resist._

_"I can't."_

_Foolish mortal! Do you really think you have enough power to resist me for much longer? Soon, they will find out and they will go to the gods._

_"Good. Then the gods can do with me as they see fit."_

_The gods won't get a chance to judge you!_

_"What are you saying?"_

_Strike when they are least expecting it._

_"Kill them?"_

_Not the gods, fool. You can't kill an immortal._

_"If you're suggesting...oh, no...you don't mean..."_

_Make them suffer. Make the gods watch as you take their precious heroes away from them._

"Jay?"

Jay shot up. A very timid Theresa was standing by the door. "Are you taking visitors?" she asked.

"Ye-yeah. Just...fell asleep," Jay replied, catching his breath.

Theresa slowly made her way over to the desk and pulled out the chair.

"Theresa?"

"Jay, you're scaring me."

"I'm scaring myself."

Theresa looked at Jay.

Jay looked away. "Theresa, something's happening. I need you to read my mind," he said.

Theresa was both honored and shocked. Jay had never asked her to read his mind before. "I'll do my best," she replied. She walked over to the bed and sat down beside Jay.

Jay turned to look at her. Theresa placed her hands on either side of Jay's head and closed her eyes. The Leader closed his eyes and calmed his mind the best he could. He could feel Theresa's presence slowly envelope his aching mind. Theresa moaned as a presence entered her own mind.

_Oh, no, you don't._

Theresa and Jay were thrown back away from each other.

"Theresa, are you okay?" Jay asked.

"I'm fine," Theresa answered. She got to her feet. "But, I'm more worried about you. That voice didn't come from your thoughts it came from...something else."

"I think I'll go for a walk, clear my head," Jay said. He got up and headed out the door. He avoided the direct of path Herry's field of view and headed out the front door. Somehow he knew this was the beginning of a long, never ending, waking nightmare.

* * *

How's the story, so far?


	16. Ch 15: Stop Fighting

**A/N**: The second part of this chapter was inspired by **The Dreamweaver **and also my own experiences with weird dreams whenever I get sick (don't ask about the second one).

**Disclaimer**: The quotes belong to the movie _Troy_, which is a totally awesome movie in my opinion. And they may not be in the correct order because I haven't seen the movie in a while. And as always I don't own COTT.

* * *

"Hey, I wanted that one."

"Sorry, Atlanta, it's mine now."

"Give me that!"

Atlanta climbed over Archie and reached for the cookie. Athena had just made a batch of double chocolate chip cookies to try and cheer the mortals up. It had worked better than she had thought. The teenagers immediately began fighting over the cookies. Herry had grabbed the entire plate at one point. That caused Archie, Atlanta, Theresa, Odie and even Neil to tackle him and forced him to give back the plate. Now, Archie and Atlanta were having a wrestling match of their own because Archie purposely took the cookie Atlanta was going for. The Huntress drove her knee into Archie's stomach.

"Atlanta!" he gasped.

Atlanta lend further over him to get the cookie. Archie was up against the arm rest and if he opened his eyes he would be staring at Atlanta's stomach. Theresa and Odie were in a fit of giggles. Archie tried to keep the desired food item out of Atlanta's reach.

"What a waste of a cookie," Herry commented.

"Atlanta, I can't breathe," Archie choked.

"Then, give me my cookie!" Atlanta said. Her foot slipped on the cushion and fell on top of Archie. The sudden impact caused Archie to lose his balance and topple to the floor, taking Atlanta with him.

"Ah. Mine."

Atlanta snatched the cookie from Archie's fingers and got to her feet.

"You're welcome," Archie said dully.

The others burst out laughing. Athena looked into the living room and shook her head.

"Mortals," she muttered.

Just then, the door opened and Jay walked in.

"Hello, Jay," Athena greeted.

"Jay, you're just in time for Athena's double chocolate chip cookies," Herry announced.

Jay looked at the goddess of war. Athena smiled.

"Go on, join your teammates, have fun. Herry's cooled down," she explained, giving Jay a wink.

Jay walked into the living room. He frowned when he saw Archie lying on the floor. Atlanta was sitting on the couch and was using Archie as a foot stool.

"I take it I missed a wrestling match," Jay noted.

"Archie stole my cookie," Atlanta replied.

Archie drummed his fingers on her foot. Herry picked a cookie up and tossed it to Jay.

"Dig in."

"Uh...thanks," Jay said. He took a small bite. A sour taste shot through his mouth. He had to swallow with some difficulty.

"These are really good, Athena."

"Thank you, Jay," Athena replied. She went back to her cooking.

Jay sat down next to Theresa on the love-seat. Archie pushed Atlanta's feet off of his chest and got up. He stretched his back.

"Arch, what happened to your hand?" Jay asked.

Archie looked down at his left hand. His skin was a shadowy black.

"Um...it's...just a glove," Archie replied.

"For what?" Odie asked.

"What do you think?" Archie replied.

"Arch, black isn't your color. You're more of a summer," Neil commented.

"Thanks for the fashion tip, Lucky," Archie said.

Neil shrugged. "Anytime," he replied, as he picked up another cookie.

Archie sighed and picked up another cookie as well. He was about to sit down when he saw Atlanta attempt a puppy dog pout.

"No way. This one's mine," Archie said, covering the treasured treat. "Hands off, Herry!"

Herry acted as if he hadn't gone for the cookie Archie was holding. He whistled innocently. Jay chuckled and took another bite of his cookie, even though it gave him a sour after taste. He unconsciously put his arm around Theresa's shoulders. He only realized what he had done when he felt her cuddle into his chest. Jay looked at the others. Even Herry was smirking at him. The Leader felt himself turn red. Archie chuckled as he sat down in between Herry and Atlanta. He wasn't down two seconds before Herry "accidentally" pushed him closer to Atlanta.

"Herry."

Atlanta chuckled and laid her head on Archie's shoulder. Herry picked up Archie's arm and draped it over Atlanta's shoulder.

"Thank you, Herry," Archie said in a warning tone.

Herry chuckled. "No problem, buddy," he replied.

Archie groaned and rolled his eyes. Odie turned on a movie and the friends sat back and enjoyed it. Jay laid his cheek on Theresa's head. No matter how bad things got just being in Theresa's presence would scare away any demon. The events of the last few hours disappeared into the back of Jay's mind, lost to time until the night. Archie wasn't the only one who suffered from nightmares these days. The Leader shook his head and returned his focus on the movie. The movie that had been picked was _Troy_. Naturally, at every scene with either Odysseus or Achilles, Odie and Archie would say the lines, word for word. Those two had disected the movie to the point where they could get up in front of anyone, including the gods, and do scenes from the retold story of the famous battle of Troy.

"They say you can't be killed," Neil quoted the messenger boy's line.

"Well I wouldn't be bothering with the shield then, would I?" Archie replied along with the actor.

Everyone couldn't help but giggle. It was always fun quoting off Greek based movies. Jay could quote off the movie of Jason and the Argonauts off by heart, no surprise.

"If you sailed any slower the war would be over," Archie quoted.

"I'll miss the start as long as I'm here at the end," Odie replied along with the actor in the movie.

Athena smiled and shook her head. Apart from being extraordinary heroes, they were excellent actors.

Herry took up the role as Patroclus. "Prince Hector, is he as good a warrior as they say?" he asked.

"The best of all the Trojans. Some would say..." Odie looked over his shoulder at Archie. "He's better than all the Greeks."

Archie snorted the same time Achilles snorted.

"Even if your cousin doesn't come, I hope you'll join us, Patroclus. We could use a strong arm like yours," Odie continued with the lines.

"Play your tricks on me. But not on my cousin," Archie said along with Achilles.

This was how the movie went on. Odie always played Odysseus and Archie always played Achilles (for obvious reasons). The others would pick and choose who they wanted to be. The gang would act and pretend to fight whenever there was a battle scene. At one point it was Jay and Archie acting out the fight between Achilles and Hector. They had forgotten about the movie and had just played out themselves. Athena had abandoned her work in the kitchen to watch the heroes play. Of course, the inevitable came, the end of the movie and the death of Achilles. Archie had bravely taken off his brace for the scene and Neil had taken up the heroic role of Paris. While Archie (pretending to be Achilles) was talking to Atlanta (who was pretending to be Briseis), Neil picked up the first thing his fingers touched (which ended up being the remote) and threw it at Archie's heel. Archie let out a cry of pain for two reasons, one: it was in the movie, and two: it just plain hurt. The movie ended and everyone dropped their characters.

"Okay, next time, I'm keeping the brace on," Archie said, rubbing his sore heel.

"Your own fault," Atlanta pointed out.

Athena clapped in approval. "You performed it better than any actor I've seen," she commented.

Archie snapped his brace back on and got to his feet. Odie glanced at the clock on his PMR. "Looks like we past our bedtimes," he announced.

"That's okay," Jay said. "It's not like we have school tomorrow."

"Still, you need rest. Don't worry about the mess, I'll clean it up," Athena said.

The seven heroes made their way to their rooms. Odie and Archie shared one more scene from _Troy_ before they parted ways. Things had _almost_ gone back to normal.

* * *

Theresa stared at the canopy that sheltered her bed. For some reason she couldn't sleep. She hated nights like tonight. These were the nights when her senses were at their peak. Theresa sighed and closed her eyes again. But she didn't try to go to sleep. Her mind travelled to the basement room of Odie. He was snuggled deep in his bed, mumbling off equations and formulas in his sleep. Theresa left Odie's room and slipped into the egotistical room of Neil. The model slept soundly in his silk, green pajamas. His eye mask secured snugly around his eyes. Pictures of himself covered the wall and mirrors bordered the bed. Feeling nauseous, Theresa left Neil's room and allowed her mind to travel into Herry's room. The strongest teenager on earth was suggled deep into his blankets and pillow. Theresa smiled as she picked up the shape of a teddy bear. The psychic slipped her mind out of Herry's room and into Atlanta's. The Huntress' room was filled with sports equipment and nature based objects. Atlanta was lying on her back, her head tilted to the wall and her blankets hung from the bed. Theresa drifted her mind out of Atlanta's room and went next door to the Warrior's domain. He was actually sleeping peacefully tonight, apart from the pained look on his face from his heel. Theresa pressed her powers further into the room and drifted closer to the bed. She gasped. Due to the fact that Archie wore a t-shirt to bed, his left arm was completely revealed. He hadn't been wearing a glove, it had been his hand all along. His left arm seemed to be turning into some kind of shadow. Feeling a bit freaked out, Theresa opened her eyes. She calmed her breathing down and concentrated again.

This time her mind wandered to the room that was well known to Herry, Jay's room. The psychic pressed her mind through the door and over the bed. What met her scared her. Jay was tossing violently in his sleep. Theresa's eyes shot open. She tore off the blankets, jumped out of bed and ran for Jay's room. The sound from the door banging against the wall brought the others out of their rooms.

"Theresa?" Archie asked sleepily.

Theresa dashed to Jay's bed and began to shake him.

"Jay? Can you hear me?" she called. "Jay?"

_Jay was thrown up against a concrete wall. He groaned in pain as he fell to the ground._

_"Come now, Jay, is that the best you've got?"_

_Jay rubbed his head and looked up. The slim figure of the red-haired Huntress stood before him. Atlanta smirked._

_"I don't understand," Jay breathed._

_"You don't understand a lot of things," Atlanta said, raising her crossbow._

_Jay ducked as a laser arrow pierced the concrete above his head._

_"Atlanta, why are you doing this?"_

_"Just following my master's orders."_

_Jay jumped out of the way of another series of lasers. He scrambled to his feet and pulled out his sword. Atlanta charged. When she was close enough, Jay swung his sword._

"Whoa!"

Theresa managed to dodge the gravitational blade that Jay had pulled out. Herry caught Jay's swinging arm and took hold of the sword.

_"Face it, Jay, you've gone soft," Atlanta taunted. She twisted Jay's wrist and the sword fell to the ground._

"Keep that thing as far away from Jay as you can possibly get it," Theresa ordered as she tried to keep Jay's arms pinned to the bed.

"Let go," he moaned. "Atlanta...stop."

"Uh oh," the gang said in unison.

_Jay kicked Atlanta from him and began to run. This wasn't making any sense. Why was Atlanta acting this way? She wasn't hypnotized or cursed. Jay ran into an abandoned corner store. Atlanta ran by. The Leader took refuge behind the counter. He sat down and pulled his legs up to his chest._

_"What's happening?"_

_Your pain will cease if you only give in._

_"I've heard _that_ before."_

_You can't keep fighting, young mortal. Soon you will not be able to resist, and the lure of greater power will consume you._

_Jay shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I'm a hero. I'm a leader. I don't need it."_

_"Jay. I know you're in here."_

_Jay held his breath as he heard Atlanta walk through the store._

_"You can't hide forever," the Huntress said. "The master will find you."_

_The girl speaks the truth, Jay._

"You're the master?" Jay asked.

"Master? What master?" Neil asked.

"Jay? Can you hear me?" Theresa called, shaking Jay again. "Jay?"

_"Hello."_

_Jay jumped to his feet and prepared to fight. Atlanta laughed. Her eyes turned a fierce red. _

_"Give in to the shadow."_

_Atlanta sprung, but when she did, she turned into a shadow. Jay let out a cry as everything went black._

"Jay! Jay!" Theresa cried.

Jay's eyes flickered open. But, when he looked up at the person over him it ended up being Atlanta. He blinked and she turned into Theresa.

"Jay?" Theresa asked calmly.

Jay lifted a shaking hand up and gentle touched the psychic's cheek. A small smile crossed Jay's tired features.

"Hey, Jay," Theresa greeted.

"Hey, Theres..."

Jay's eyes closed again and he lost consciousness. Theresa held his hand to her lips. "Be safe," she whispered.

* * *

I hope that wasn't _too_ much like **The Dreamweaver**, same idea, different senario. Let me know what you think.


	17. Ch 16: Shadow Rising

**Disclaimer**: I don't own COTT or the lyrics of "Fading Away", the song belongs to Demon Hunter.

* * *

The Secret Wing was quiet. Mostly because all of the gods had gone to bed. Chiron was just putting a book away when the doors to his study burst open. He turned around and saw the heroes rush in. Strangely, they were all still in their pajamas.

"Chiron, you have to help us!" Theresa cried.

"What has happened?" Chiron asked.

Theresa stepped to the side, revealing a very pale Jay lying in Herry's arms.

"Put him on the couch," Chiron told Hercules' descendant. "Atlanta, get Persephone."

Atlanta ran out of the room. Herry laid Jay on the couch and Chiron immediately began the examination. The centaur placed his hand on Jay's forehead, only to find that the human was extremely cold. Atlanta came back with Persephone following her.

"What's happened?" the goddess of spring asked.

"It's Jay," Odie replied simply.

Persephone walked over to the couch. It didn't take a god to realize that Jay had indeed been infected and was on the verge of death. Persephone sat down and place her hands on either side of Jay's head. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

_Jay moaned. He slowly opened his eyes. He was in some kind of cave. He was kneeling in the middle of a large chamber, his wrists were chained to poles that stood on either side of him._

_"Ah, Jay, good to see you awake. Although, in your condition you won't be awake for much longer."_

_"Cronus?"_

_"Surprise. How are you?"_

_"Where am I?" Jay asked._

_"In trouble if you don't do what you are told," Cronus replied._

_"What I'm told?" Jay asked. "What are you talking about?"_

_Cronus sighed and began to walk around the weakening human. "Jay, who do you think is the cause for your dilemma?" the god asked._

_"A shadow?" Jay guessed._

_"But, who told that shadow about you seven?" Cronus asked._

_Jay didn't answer. _

_"Come now, Jay, is it really _that_ hard?" Cronus asked._

_Jay only shook his head._

_"You know what this shadow can do. It will eat you away from the inside out, until you either give in or die," Cronus explained. "It is already happening."_

_"I would rather die," Jay whispered._

_"You're in the middle of a power struggle, Jay, and Shadow is not the type to just _let_ you die. That's how it had always worked. Why do you think your history has been tainted with such power hungry leaders?" Cronus asked. "Shadow is not a sickness you can cure with medicine. The only way to do so..."_

_"Is either to die or to give it control of your mind," Jay finished. "I think I'll take the first."_

_Jay? Can you hear me?_

_"Miss. Persephone?" Jay whispered. He felt a sharp pain shoot down his spine._

_"You're only asking for an extremely painful death if you don't let Shadow have its way," Cronus explained._

_Jay felt something creep over his back._

_"And so it begins," Cronus said._

"What's happening to him?" Atlanta asked.

Jay began to moan and squirm.

_It's in this wake that I find myself  
Losing the will to resume this Hell  
When every breath is a dying wish  
It's harder to follow the point of this_

A dark shadow snaked over Jay's body.

"Jay, don't give in," Persephone pleaded.

Jay moaned in pain. Chiron pulled Persephone away from the bed. The shadow had already consumed Jay's upper and lower body. His resistance died as his entire body was turned into a shadow.

"Jay?" Theresa whispered.

Jay's eyes shot open. They were glowing a fierce red. His eyes fell on Archie. Jay disappeared and reappeared behind Archie.

_"Traitor!"_

"Jay, buddy, it's me, Archie."

Jay turned into a shadow and flew forward. Archie grasped his stomach as he felt the shadow sail through his body.

"Archie!"

Atlanta grabbed her friend before he fell to the floor. Everyone looked up at the figure-less shadow. Its red eyes glaring down at them. It sailed through the ceiling and was gone. Theresa couldn't help but remember when her aura had taken control. But, instead of an aura, Jay had been taken over by a living shadow. And now thanks to him, Archie had the same fate. He was already half-shadow.

"Archie, look at me."

Archie looked up and was greeted by Atlanta's beautiful brown eyes. He smiled weakly.

"I'm fine, really," he said.

"Liar," Atlanta told him.

Archie clenched his stomach. He felt like someone had driven a sword through his stomach. A voice hissed in his mind.

_I told you, you wouldn't escape._

_This broken place that I call my home  
Has deepened the sorrow that I have sown  
And I can't erase what is in my heart  
I want it to finish before it starts_

* * *

Not one of my longest chapters but I wrote this early in the morning and my brain was still waking up. What do you think? This chapter was inspired by **Phantom Rising**, just as a heads up.


	18. Ch 17: The First Attack

It was an unnaturally dark night. Cronus frowned as he looked up at the sky. He hadn't seen a night this dark since before Caesar's death. The god of time went back inside his cave lair. He shivered. It was cold, even for a cave. A dark shadow slithered out of hiding.

_"I thought I would stop by and see how an old friend was doing."_

"Shadow, always a pleasure. Tell me, do you have anything to do with how dark it is tonight?" Cronus asked.

_"Maybe,"_ Shadow replied.

"You never could resist darkness," Cronus said.

_"It's my nature,"_ Shadow hissed.

"Mmm, yes. Did you find your bounty after? They haven't been sticking their noses into my plans," Cronus explained.

_"And that's a bad thing?"_ Shadow asked.

"Of course not, I just find it odd, that's all. Those seven brats are always dropping in," Cronus said.

_"Six."_

"Pardon?"

_"Soon to be five."_

Cronus frowned. "You sound awfully familiar," he said.

Shadow shifted into a human form, but still kept its shadowy appearence. Cronus laughed.

"Oh, this is too rich. Jay, how good to see you," the god of time said.

"Wish I could say the same, Cronus," Jay replied, narrowing his red eyes at the god.

"Shadow, you wouldn't mind letting me talk to Jay, would you? Alone?" Cronus asked.

With a hiss, the shadow retreated, leaving a very dazed and confused Jay standing with Cronus.

"Cronus? Wha-what's going on?" the boy asked. "How did I get here?"

Cronus summoned a chair and Jay was pushed back into it.

"Sit back and relax."

"What is this?" Jay demanded. He felt awkward being in the presence of his enemy. It was even worse knowing that he was still wearing his pajamas. But it seemed like Cronus had other things on his mind.

"This is story time," the god of time replied.

* * *

Archie rubbed his eyes. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat (literally). Everything he ate tasted bitter, sour, or rotten. Athena said that it was his infection that was causing it. The shadow didn't eat mortal food, it ate off of the mortals themselves and drank from the moonlight. His transformation had quickened thanks to Jay. But, Jay was the furthest thing from Archie's mind at the moment. The team had been left hanging without a leader. Theresa had bared herself in her room since they had returned from the school. Atlanta had tried (with no luck) to talk to her. Currently, the Huntress was lying on Archie's bed, staring at the ceiling. The Warrior was sitting at his desk. Dawn was approaching, although, no one really cared.

Archie folded his arms on the desk and laid his head in the fold. Atlanta sat up. Upon arriving back at the dorm, Archie had flipped on all the lights. Much to Odie's annoyance about a high electricity bill, Athena had told the rest of them to leave the lights on, for Archie's sake, if not for their own. The shadows weren't friends to mortals anymore. Atlanta got up and walked over to her best friend. She placed a hand on his shadowy shoulder. He moaned slightly. Archie hated the fact that he no longer had the sense of touch. One of the joys of becoming a shadow.

"Arch? You asleep?"

Archie's eyes opened slightly.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," Atlanta said. She helped Archie to his feet and over to his bed.

When Archie was tucked in, Atlanta quietly made her way out of the room. She glanced over her shoulder at the closed door.

"How is he?"

Atlanta turned around and saw Herry standing in front of her. The Huntress wrapped her arms around herself.

"Not so good. The shadow's spreading. He's almost killing himself with all the lights on and he keeps talking to himself."

Tears filled Atlanta's eyes. Herry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his friend.

"Hey, come on, this is Archie we're talking about. You know how stubborn he is, he won't go down without a fight," he said.

"But, he's not fighting at all, Herry," Atlanta replied.

"He's still stubborn," Herry pointed out. That made Atlanta chuckle. Herry rubbed her back. "Come on, Atlanta, it's almost dawn and we all need sleep."

Herry guided Atlanta to her room and helped her into bed.

"Now, I don't want to see you up again until breakfast...well...maybe brunch."

Atlanta laughed. "Yes, Dad," she joked.

Herry smiled and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Atlanta snuggled down into her sheets and fell fast asleep.

* * *

It was the scream of tires and sirens that woke Atlanta. She bolted up and looked out the window.

"Atlanta! Get up! Kids! Get out of the dorm, now!"

Athena came barging in. Her sword was clenched tightly in her left hand, the Egus strapped to her chest.

"Athena, what's going..."

"Outside, now!" the goddess of war ordered. She left to get Neil and Theresa up, if they weren't up already.

Atlanta jumped out of bed. Odie came in, a duffel bag hanging over his shoulder, and still dressed in his pajamas.

"Grab some stuff and let's go!" the Brain urged.

With inhuman speed, Atlanta had her own duffel bag packed and was heading downstairs. Athena was dragging a whining Neil out of his room. Theresa followed, carrying two bags, hers and Neil's. Herry came out of the last room, carrying two bags and an unconscious Archie. Atlanta felt fear grip her heart.

"Atlanta, move!" Athena barked.

Atlanta continued downstairs. "What's happening?" she asked Odie.

There was a loud explosion. The dorm shook violently and everyone ducked.

"What was _that_?" Neil cried.

"To the backyard!" Athena ordered.

The group made their way to the kitchen. But they didn't get to the door. The back door was blasted open. Shadows enveloped the dorm. Everyone prepared themselves to fight. Two fierce red eyes appeared in the darkness.

"Jay," Theresa breathed.

The eyes disappeared and it began to grow extremely cold.

"What trick are you trying to pull?" Athena asked.

"No trick, dear Athena," a haunting voice replied.

It was a cross between Jay's voice and the shadow's voice.

"Just give me the Warrior and I shall make your ends swift."

"I've heard _that_ before," Odie said, looking at Neil.

The Charm just shrugged.

"I haven't seen it this dark since..."

"Since what, lovely Theresa? Your vision?" the voice asked.

"How...how did..."

"I have access to your friend's memories," the voice hissed. "I know all your moves, your powers, your tricks and, more importantly, your weaknesses."

Odie pulled out a Prometheus Fire stick from his bag.

"You think that weak light can pierce darkness? Think again, mortal!"

The stick was sent flying out of Odie's hand.

"Enough!" Athena roared.

She pulled off one of the snakes on the Egus. It shot out a bolt of electricity. A cry of pain rang out through the darkness. The shadows retreated into one being. Jay looked up and glared at the goddess.

"Jay, let us help you," Theresa offered.

"I don't need help. I don't want it. We were wrong to have fought this all along," Jay replied.

"What are you talking about?" Odie asked.

"This shadow, it can help us defeat Cronus," Jay said.

"Jay, listen to yourself," Herry instructed.

Jay narrowed his eyes at his former team. "Anyone who defies this power perishes."

"Anyone who _embraces_ it perishes," Athena shouted.

"Then, allow me to introduce you to ultimate power," Jay told her.

He turned into a shadow again and shot out a massive shadow. Everything was covered in darkness again. Archie began to wake up.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Ah, Archie. Maybe you can help me in convincing these weak minded fools that there was nothing to fear from Shadow," Jay said.

Herry placed Archie on his feet, but still kept his hands on the Warrior's shoulders to help him balance.

"Have you gone mad?" Archie asked.

"You know the power, Archie," Jay said.

"I know the power, yes, that's exactly why I have to fight it," Archie answered.

"Traitor!" Jay roared.

"_You're_ the traitor, Jay!" Archie yelled.

"Here we go again," Theresa warned.

"Do I have to complete your transformation to make you see what a big mistake you're making?" Jay asked.

"No, you'll have to kill me," Archie replied.

"So be it."

The darkness grew thicker.

"Is it just me, or is getting harder to breathe?" Herry asked, tugging at his shirt collar.

Archie closed his eyes and tried to locate Jay. But the former Leader was nowhere to be found. Archie took a deep breath and concentrated on the darkness. The shadows began to weaken and retreat. Archie absorbed the darkness that enveloped the dorm. He fell back into Herry.

"I got to you, buddy."

"We have to get to the school before he comes back," Athena said.

Everyone held hands and Athena transported them to the Secret Wing. Herry rushed Archie to Chiron's study.

"Keep an eye on Archie. The shadow inside of him is growing more powerful. Jay's power is far more dangerous and could quicken Archie's transformation even more," Athena explained.

The friends ran off to Chiron's room. Athena moaned and rubbed her head. She felt strange.

"Athena, can you come here?" Hera called.

The goddess of war headed for Hera's aviary. She would figure this out later.

* * *

Two days in the making, I hope it paid off.


	19. Ch 18: Erebus

"Is there any way to slow it down?"

Chiron shook his head.

Archie moaned in pain. He was almost a complete shadow. Atlanta held his hand in her own and stroked his fingers. She knew he couldn't feel it, but it helped to calm her down. She brushed his now jet black hair out of his face. Theresa had said that this was how Archie looked in her vision. Atlanta knew he wasn't dying, he was transforming, which meant that she was powerless to help him. Archie wrapped his fingers around Atlanta's. His eyes slowly opened.

"Hey, Archie."

"Hey," Archie whispered.

"How are you feeling?" Theresa asked.

"I've been better," Archie replied, his voice a mere whisper.

"Why did you do it?" Atlanta asked.

Archie looked at the Huntress. "Why did I do what?"

"What you did back at the dorm," Odie replied.

"What did I do back at the dorm? I can't remember anything," Archie answered.

"Jay cast the dorm in shadows and disappeared. Then, you somehow absorbed them and fainted," Herry replied.

"And that is why your transformation has escalated," Chiron added.

"Oh," was all Archie could say.

Chiron couldn't help but worry. The Warrior was far too calm for his condition. Jay had fought to keep the changes at bay, Archie was barely fighting at all. Just then, the door opened and Hera walked in. Her face was grim.

"Hera, what is it?" Chiron asked.

"We have been struck," Hera replied.

The friends and Chiron gasped.

"Struck? How?" Odie asked.

"Athena has been turned mortal again," Hera replied.

"How?" Theresa asked again.

"I think...I know," Archie replied.

Everyone turned to face him. Archie struggled to sit up.

"Jay...used....the shadows to...absorb Athena's powers."

Atlanta helped Archie to sit up.

"How to do you know?" Neil asked.

Archie shot out a lightning bolt. Neil jumped out of the way.

"That was from the Egus," Theresa said.

Archie nodded. "I think Jay...urgh...absorbed the power of the...of the Egus," he groaned.

He slumped back into the seat. His breathing was shallow and labored.

"Easy, young one," Chiron said.

"Jay didn't have _this _much trouble," Herry spoke up.

"The part of the shadow that is in Archie is not as strong as the part that is in Jay. The part that has possessed Jay is the main half. It has regained its power and can suck the life out of anything, mortal, immortal, a weapon, anything. Whereas the half that has possessed Archie is still growing, still maturing. It hasn't had the chance to eat. And so, summoning the power of darkness is a difficult task. That and combined with the intensity of Athena's Egus is strenuous on the host," Chiron explained.

"You sure seem to know a lot about this shadow thing," Neil pointed out.

Chiron looked at Hera. The goddess sighed.

"Children, meet me in my office," she said as she left the study.

Herry carefully picked Archie up in his arms and followed his teammates to Hera's aviary. The queen of the gods was sitting at her desk, a mystical blue orb sat in front of her. Hera looked up as the doors opened. The heroes walked in. Herry placed Archie on a couch. Atlanta sat down next to him.

"What's this about, Miss. Hera?" Theresa asked, sitting down.

Hera picked up the orb and walked down to where the friends were sitting. She placed the glass on the table.

"What are we supposed to do? Read each other's fortunes?" Neil asked.

Hera frowned at him. "No. This is a Time Orb," she replied.

"Does this have anything to do with..."

Odie trailed off as his eyes drifted to Archie.

"Yes, it does," Hera answered.

The six heroes looked at her. Hera waved her hand over the orb. A beam of light shot out of it.

"I should have told you this long ago. I should have warned Jay not to go after him."

"Him?" Theresa echoed.

"Him who?" Herry asked.

A shadowy figure appeared in the beam of light.

"Who is _that_?" Atlanta asked.

"His name is Erebus," Hera replied. "He is the son of Chaos."

"That explains a lot," Archie moaned.

"Cerberus?" Neil repeated. "I thought he was that three headed mutt that wanted to use us as chew toys."

"Not _Cerberus_, Neil, _Erebus_," Odie corrected.

"What's so special about this guy?" Herry asked.

"He's the god of darkness," Hera answered.

"He's not evil, is he?" Odie asked.

"He has a knack for showing mortals their darker sides," Hera explained.

"That _really_ explains a lot," Archie said.

"So, how do we stop him?" Theresa asked.

"Use a really big flashlight," Neil said.

Everyone glared at him.

"What?"

"It doesn't work that way, Neil. Remember what happened when I tried to use a Prometheus Fire stick back at the dorm? It barely pierced the darkness," Odie pointed out.

Neil shrugged.

"So, _how_ are we supposed to beat him?" Theresa asked.

Suddenly, Hermes burst into the room, he looked like Cronus had found the school.

"Hermes, what is it?" Hera asked.

"J-Jay," the god of messages gasped.

"What about Jay?" Theresa asked.

* * *

The five friends ran through the woods. Under direct orders from Hera, Archie had been left back at the school. Hermes had told them (while on the verge of hyperventilating) that he had located Jay somewhere in the woods. Archie said it was a trap, Theresa said it was a friend in need.

"Jay?" Theresa called.

"Jay, where are you?" Herry yelled.

Just then, Atlanta's PMR rang.

"Atlanta, I know where Jay is," Archie's voice sounded.

"Where is he?" Odie asked.

Archie typed something into Hermes' computer. A screen slid up and revealed a chain-link fence. On the other side, buried in the trees, was Jay. Archie smirked.

"And Odie thought I didn't pay attention in Computer Tech.," he muttered. "He's near the place where we fought Cerberus."

Theresa took off in that direction, the others following close behind. They came to the fence.

"There," Atlanta said.

The others followed the direction she was pointing and saw Jay.

"Jay!" Theresa called.

Jay strained to look up.

"Theresa?"

Herry cupped his hands and lowered them. Theresa placed a foot into his hands and Herry tossed her over the fence. Theresa landed on the others side and ran to Jay's side.

"Jay, can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Where are we?" Jay asked.

"That doesn't matter. We have to get you out of here," Theresa said.

She swung one of Jay's arms over her shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Slowly, they made their way back to the fence. Atlanta was perched on top of the fence and reached out her hand. Jay reached up and took Atlanta's hand. The Huntress pulled the Leader up and carefully lowered him to the other side and into Herry's waiting arms.

"Good to see you in one piece," Herry said.

Jay gave him a small smile. He lost consciousness.

Atlanta and Theresa landed on the other side.

"Come on, let's get Jay back to the school," Odie instructed.

The gang headed back to Herry's truck. As they left the woods, the shadows shift and hiss.

* * *

I think that's it for this chapter. What do you think?


	20. Ch 19: The Second Attack

**A/N**: Some of you are probably wondering about Erebus. Yes, he is from Greek mythology, I guess he's not one of those well known gods. I like putting in not-so-well-known immortals into my stories.

* * *

"Welcome home, Jay."

It had been one week since the attack on the dorm and Jay's appearance in the woods. While Persephone had happily announced that Jay was no longer infected, Archie couldn't help but think that this was a bit strange. Jay had almost died trying to fight off Erebus' shadow and now he was acting like it was another victory against Cronus.

"Arch? You okay?"

"M'fine," Archie muttered.

He headed up to his room. All of this was giving him a headache (or maybe it was just the voice in his head) and he needed to lie down. Archie walked into his room and closed the door. He lend against it and sighed. There was no possible way Jay could have fought off Erebus in a week, whereas Archie had been fighting to keep his sanity for almost a month. It was hard to believe that a month ago New Olympia was a lively city. Too many people had lost their lives. It would never recover unless Erebus was stopped. Unfortunately, how did one go about capturing an immortal shadow? Shadow's disappeared when light was shone on them. Erebus was no ordinary shadow. Light did nothing to him. Archie glanced at his shadowy hands. He was a prisoner inside his own body. He had almost forgotten what food tasted like. Had almost forgotten the warmth of a bed, the comfort of pajamas (which he figured he was still wearing considering it was what he had been wearing when he had turned shadow), the touch of someone's hand, most of all, he had forgotten the heavenly sensation of a kiss. But, none of that was important to a shadow.

_Best to forget your former life, child._

Archie shook his head. _"It's the only thing keeping me sane."_

A knock came on the door.

"Yo, Arch, we're watching a movie, you coming down?" Jay asked.

_"Come on, Archie, he's your friend and leader, you can trust him. But, how can you trust someone who tried to _kill_ you?"_

"Arch?"

"I'm coming."

Archie sighed as he heard Jay's footsteps die away. No matter how much he wanted to believe it, he couldn't accept that Jay was truly himself again. Shadow or no, Jay had been the one who had thrown that sword. Not Erebus, Jay. Responsible, leader _Jay_. Archie moaned and rubbed his eyes. Why was this life so difficult? Not that his life back at the Grey-Stone was any better. At least here he wasn't considered an offspring of Hades. Archie shuttered. As much as he respected Persephone and Hades, he would die if they were his parents. But, hey, Achilles' mother was a goddess, right? Too bad the same couldn't be said for Rodna King. As a child Archie often considered his father to be Hades every now and then. More than likely it was every other day of the week.

"Archie, am I gonna have to carry you downstairs?"

"No, Herry, I'm coming," Archie replied.

He opened the door and walked out. "See? I'm coming," he said.

The two friends headed downstairs. Walking into the living room, Archie saw Jay and Theresa cuddled into one another.

_"Until Jay does something out of line, everything is back to semi-normalcy,"_ Archie told himself.

He sat down next to Atlanta, who immediately snuggled into his chest. Archie couldn't help but smile and put an arm around the Huntress. Oh yeah, everything was _almost_ back to normal.

* * *

As the days past, New Olympia slowly came back to life. People walked the streets again, cars once again dominated the road, businesses opened, and that included school. It was like coming out of a dense fog. Everything seemed so clear and bright. Olympus High was alive once more.

Archie glanced around the halls. It hurt to know that some of his classmates were now spending eternity in the Underworld. He sighed sadly. Dionysus had given him a potion that would make his shadowy appearance look normal to the eyes of "common mortals" (as Dionysus had explained). Surprisingly, it had worked. Too bad it hadn't worked for his hair though. He had gone all day with his hood up. Shadow or not, Archie vowed he would _never_ go out in public without being properly clothed, even though the clothes disappeared as soon as he walked through the door of the Brownstone. Archie jumped when his locker door was slammed shut.

"Hey, King. I'm surprised you're not crusin' the River Styx with Charon."

"Too bad you're not, either, Baxter."

A couple of students snickered.

"I see you haven't lost your sense of humor," Bruce said.

Archie shrugged. "It's a gift," he replied.

"So, what's with the hood?" Bruce asked.

"None of your business," Archie hissed. He bit his tongue. This was _not_ the time to be going shadow.

"What's the matter? You can tell me I'm not cultured but you can't reveal what's under the hood?" Bruce taunted.

By now a crowd had gathered. This looked familiar. Almost month ago he had stopped Bruce's reign of terror with a simple phrase.

"Come on, promise I won't laugh," Bruce said.

"Liar," Archie spat.

"What's going on?"

The crowd parted to let Herry through.

"Why am I not surprised?" the Brawn asked.

"Hey, Herry," Archie greeted.

"What do you want, Britton?" Bruce asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Herry answered.

"Just catching up with my pal, Archie," Bruce said, slinging an arm around Archie's shoulders.

"Uh huh. Well, Arch and I have a class project to do," Herry replied. He started off for the janitor's closest.

Archie ducked out from Bruce's arm and headed off with Herry. Suddenly, Bruce grabbed the back of Archie's sweater and yanked the hood down. The Warrior's shadowy black hair fell down around his eyes. Everyone gasped. Herry turned around to see what had happened. Archie pulled out of Bruce's grip and pulled his hood back up, but the damage was already done.

"Looks like the King is looking for a little more attention."

"Attention is the last thing on my mind, Baxter," Archie spat.

Herry ran up and grabbed his friend's shoulders to keep him from attacking Bruce.

"Arch, leave it. We have work to do?"

Bruce laughed as Herry pulled Archie away.

"Why'd you do that, Herry?" Archie asked as the friends walked up to the janitor's closest. Herry took out his pendant and placed it in the key hole. The door opened and the boys walked in.

"You were about to turn shadow," Herry explained as he pulled the chain to activate the portal. The door swung shut and the wall turned into a portal. The heroes walked through and into the Secret Wing.

"Archie, you know you don't have that thing under control."

"I don't need a lecture, Herry. I get that enough from Hera," Archie muttered.

"It doesn't hurt to have an accountability friend, does it?" Herry asked.

"You're making me accountable now?" Archie asked back.

"No, someone who checks up on you to see how you're doing," Herry explained.

The boys walked into the main chamber.

"I guess not," Archie replied.

There was a loud crash. Aphrodite's scream rang out. Something flew out of the goddess's room.

"Heads up!" Herry yelled.

The thing flew into Archie. He suddenly felt sick.

"Arch, you okay, buddy?" Herry asked.

Archie nodded.

Ares, Hera, Hephaestus and Artemis came running. Aphrodite ran out of her room.

"Aphrodite, what's wrong?" Artemis asked.

"It was horrible!" the goddess of love shrieked.

Hephaestus took Aphrodite's hand and patted it. "There, there, you're safe now," he said.

Herry and Archie went to see what had happened.

"What's going on?" Herry asked.

"I was attacked," Aphrodite cried.

"By who?" Hera asked.

"I don't know. It suddenly grew very dark and cold. And then I felt strange," Aphrodite explained.

"Erebus," Ares growled.

Archie held his stomach and groaned.

"Something wrong, Archie?" Ares asked.

"He hasn't been feeling well. I think the shadow is spreading again," Herry explained. No way was he telling the gods that the thing that had most likely attacked Aphrodite had flown into Archie. Just then, the oak doors opened and Jay and Theresa walked in.

"What's going on?" Jay asked.

"I've been turned mortal!" Aphrodite cried.

"It wasn't me, I swear," Theresa told everyone.

"No, it was the work of Erebus," Hera replied.

"But how?" Jay asked. "The only one who's still infected is..."

Everyone turned to Archie.

"What? You think I...oh, come on! I was no where near this place when Aphrodite was attacked!" Archie explained.

"He was with me all day," Herry added.

"You have to believe me. I can barely control this stupid shadow," Archie said.

"I believe you, Arch," Jay replied, putting a hand on the Warrior's shoulder.

As he did so, Archie felt a shock from Jay's hand. He rubbed his shoulder. Jay stepped back. Archie narrowed his eyes at the Leader.

"We'll figure this out, later," Hera said. "Until we find out how this happened, classes are cancelled until further notice."

"This must be really bad," Theresa commented as the gods walked off.

"Something is turning them mortal again. Of course it's bad," Archie pointed out.

"Come on, Herry, we have History," Theresa said.

The Fighter and Brawn walked off. Archie glared at Jay.

"What?"

"I'm keeping an eye on you. I don't care what Persephone says, you're not as well as you let on."

Archie stormed off. Jay shrugged and followed his friend out of the Secret Wing. One of them was the true culprit, and the Leader was going to expose him.

* * *

Ending sucks, I know. I ran out of ideas. I was working on this chapter for two days. I would have had it up sooner if my back hadn't been bothering me. Anyway, it's up now. What do you think?


	21. Ch 20: Love and Hate

"We know you didn't attack Aphrodite."

"Archie, come out."

"Just leave him in there."

"Neil!" Theresa cried.

"What? After what he did to Aphrodite? What did she do to..."

"Shut up, Neil!"

A lightning bolt suddenly shot through the door. Neil jumped out of the way as the bolt struck the wall. Atlanta glanced through the hole. Archie was nowhere to be seen. The Huntress reached through the hole and unlocked the door.

"Archie?"

"I'm losing control."

Atlanta stepped into the room cautiously. Archie was sitting in the far corner of his room. Atlanta closed what was left of the door and walked over. Herry stepped in front of the door to keep the others out. Atlanta went over to Archie's side.

"Archie?"

"I don't know what's happening to me," Archie whispered, without looking up.

Atlanta sat down next to her best friend. "Archie, this isn't your fault. Erebus is doing this to you."

"Chiron said one half wasn't as strong as the other. So, why am I having difficulty controlling this thing?" Archie asked.

_Do you _really_ need an answer, mortal?_

"Get out of my head!" Archie hissed.

"Archie, you're scaring me. I don't know what to do."

"Don't do anything, Atlanta. If something happened...if you got hurt, I would never forgive myself," Archie explained.

He finally looked up. His grey-blue eyes glistened with tears.

"Archie, you know I can't just stand by while you slowly lose yourself. You have friends that will help you," Atlanta said.

"Except Neil and Jay," Archie mumbled.

"Neil's just being a jerk and what is it about Jay that has you so up-tight?" Atlanta asked.

"Something's not right with him. Trust me, being a human shadow I have the power of perception and I can sense when something or some_one_ is playing the deceiving game," Archie explained.

"Persephone said so herself, Jay is back to his old self," Atlanta pointed out.

"I just don't trust him right now," Archie said.

"Oh. It's the sword thing, isn't it?" Atlanta asked.

"How do you trust someone who tried to kill you?" Archie replied.

Atlanta looked down and slipped her fingers under Archie's hand.

"I wish I could feel," Archie whispered.

"I have something to tell you," Atlanta said.

"What is it?"

"Come closer."

Archie lend forward.

"Little more."

When Archie was where she wanted him, Atlanta pulled him into a kiss. Archie felt a strange sensation wash over him. He felt...warm. He could suddenly feel Atlanta's hand in his. Archie pulled away and looked at his hand. He wasn't a shadow anymore. A smile slipped across Archie's face.

"What's so funny?" Atlanta asked. Her eyes reflected the same excitement Archie felt.

"Remember what Neil said about using a really big flashlight?" Archie asked.

"Yeah."

"I think we've just found that flashlight," Archie answered.

"A kiss?" Atlanta asked.

Archie shrugged.

"Guys, what's going on in there?" Theresa asked.

The others walked in. Theresa gasped when she saw Archie.

"Archie, you're...you're..."

"Normal," Neil finished.

"Thanks," Archie said.

"I think it's time you changed out of your pj's, Arch," Herry pointed out.

"I think so, too," Archie agreed.

Don't_ think I'm gone, mortal._

Archie shook his head. This was not the time. Okay, Erebus was still in his head, but at least he wasn't a human-shadow anymore.

"So, who's up for pizza? My treat," Archie offered.

"I'm game," Herry chimed.

"I'll ask Jay," Theresa said. She ran out of the room.

"Count me in," Odie piped up.

"You know I'm going," Atlanta answered.

Everyone looked at Neil.

"What?"

"I think you owe Archie an apology," Herry said. "Or am I gonna have to get persuasive?"

Neil glanced over at Jay's bedroom door, the last thing that Herry had to get "persuasive" with.

"No, no. Uh...Arch, I'm sorry for what I said eariler," the Charm apologized.

"Apology accepted, Neil," Archie answered, trying to hide a grin.

Theresa ran up. "Jay's in," she announced.

"So, let's party," Atlanta said.

"It's true what they say then, 'love conquers all things'," Jay said.

The gang was at The Diner enjoying an extra large pizza. They joked around and told stories of what was happening at school.

"Archie, slow down, no one's going to take it from you," Theresa said as Archie gulped down another piece of pizza.

Archie pointed at Herry. "He might," he said. "And besides, I haven't eaten in almost a month."

"It's been _that_ long since you've eaten?" Jay asked.

"You should know how gross food tastes to a shadow," Archie muttered.

Jay looked away.

"Come on, we're here to enjoy ourselves, not dwell on Erebus," Atlanta pointed out.

_That's what _she_ thinks._

Archie hit the side of his head.

"You okay?" Odie asked.

"My ears are ringing, that's all," Archie answered.

_Keep telling yourself that._

_"Get out of my head!"_

_Arrogant mortal._

"Archie, are you sure okay?" Odie asked.

"Yes, Odie, I'm fine," Archie replied through clenched teeth. "I'm just getting a headache."

He got to his feet and stepped out of the booth.

"I'm going to go pay for the meal."

He walked away. Jay watched his friend's retreating back. The last time that happened he had thrown his sword at his friend. He got up and stepped out into the isle.

"What is it, Jay?" Theresa asked.

"Nothing serious. Just need to wash my hands," Jay replied. He headed for the restrooms.

_You had the perfect chance._

_"The others would've known."_

_He is weak. He must perish._

_"But, Master, if he dies, a part of you will die as well."_

_Fool, I'm a _god_! The part of me that is in Achilles' descendant will rejoin the more powerful shadow._

_"How am I supposed to kill someone who cannot die?"_

_How was Achilles killed in the Trojan war?_

_"But, Archie never takes his brace off."_

_Then, get him alone and _make_ him take it off._

"Jay?"

Jay whirled around. Archie was standing behind him, a suspicious fire burning in his eyes.

"If you're sane enough, we're leaving," the Warrior said.

"Okay, thanks. I'll be right out," Jay replied.

With a growl, Archie left the restroom.

_Do whatever is necessary._

_"I will not fail. Not again."_

Jay walked out of the restroom and headed for the door. He would think of something to get Archie alone. He _was_ the leader after all.

(sigh) That took almost as long as the last chapter. We have Archie/Jay rivalry coming up pretty soon.


	22. Ch 21: Sailing

Saturday. The best day of the week for a student. It was even better for seven heroes and said heroes were enjoying the sunshine and heat at the beach. Neil was sun tanning, Odie and Herry were swimming, and Theresa, Atlanta, Archie and Jay were playing volleyball. Much to the Warrior's dismay it was girls against boys, so he was stuck on the same team as Jay.

"Give us your best shot, girls," Jay said.

Atlanta tossed the ball up into the air and hit it over the net. It sailed for Archie. Achilles' descendant volleyed the ball to Jay who sent it over the net. Theresa hit the ball back over the net.

"Mine!" Archie and Jay yelled.

They headed for the ball. Making it seem like an accident, Jay slammed into Archie. The Warrior fell to the sand.

"Archie, are you okay?"

Archie looked up at Jay and growled.

"You did that on purpose!" he yelled.

"Did what on purpose?" Jay asked.

"Never mind."

Archie pushed himself to his feet. "Let's just finish this game so I can get as far away from you as I possibly can."

Jay shrugged and served the ball.

"Hey, Odie, check out this weird rock," Herry said.

Odie looked up from the sea shell he was examining. Herry held up a glass-like rock.

"That _is_ weird," Odie agreed.

Herry moved it from side to side. The sun reflected off the surface and bounced into the direct path of the volleyball game. The sun hit Archie in the eyes and caused him to stumble. He ended up getting nailed in the back of the head and fell to the ground again. Herry hid the rock behind his back.

"Archie, are you okay?" Theresa asked.

"I'm fine," Archie answered.

"My bad," Herry called.

Jay helped Archie to his feet. When he was able to stand, Archie pushed Jay away and stormed off.

"What's eating him?" Jay asked.

"He's still a little on edge about the whole you-throwing-your-sword-at-him deal," Atlanta answered.

Jay sighed. "I still feel like an idiot about that. I want to show Archie that I'm sorry, but every time I try he pushes me away," he explained.

"Maybe you two need a little time together. You know, get to know one another. Go sailing," Theresa suggested.

"I doubt that. Archie hates water," Jay pointed out.

"Please, Jay?" Theresa asked. "This is wearing down the team."

"Alright, I'll try to talk him into it," Jay said. He went off to find Archie.

"I hope this works," Theresa told Atlanta.

"Me too. Those two need to work out their differences," the Huntress added.

Archie was skipping rocks further down the shore when Jay walked up.

"What do you want now?" Archie asked.

"I was going sailing and was looking for some company. Wanna come?" Jay asked.

"No thanks," Archie rejected.

"Why not?" Jay asked.

"Three words: don't, like, and water."

Archie sent another rock skipping through the water.

"Get one of the others to go."

"Neil's too busy tanning, Odie and Herry are collecting rocks and the girls are having a rematch," Jay explained.

Archie groaned.

"Come on, please? It'll make Atlanta happy," Jay said.

Archie glanced over to where the girls were playing volleyball.

"All right, fine."

"That's the spirit. You grab the gear and I'll get the boat ready," Jay said.

He ran off back down the shore to the wharf. Archie threw his last rock and watched the fountain of water spring up after the rock crashed beneath the waves. That was how he felt when he was in the water. Heavy and unable to save himself. Sure he had been able to swim once before, but that was because of a potion put in his drink. The potion had worn off naturally and now Archie was back to sticking to dry land. He sighed and went to get the sailing gear.

Soon, the boat was pulling away from the wharf.

_"What have I gotten myself into?"_ Archie asked himself.

"You okay?" Jay asked as he steered the boat out from the shore.

"Peachy," Archie replied.

Jay turned back to see where he was going and smiled.

"Uh...Jay? Where are we going?" Archie asked.

"I heard there's a small island not too far off. I want to see if we can find it," Jay explained.

Archie looked back to see the beach drifting further and further from view. He was getting a bad feeling about this. The sail suddenly jerked.

"Hey, Arch, could you see what's wrong with the sail?" Jay asked.

Archie cautiously got to his feet and made his way to the mast. He checked the sail. While Archie's view was blocked by the sail, Jay spun the wheel, causing the sail to swing to the right, collide with Archie's chest and send him overboard. Jay ran to the side of the boat. That hit would have knocked the air even out of Hercules. Jay dove into the water. Archie was nowhere to be seen. A yellow object slowly drifted up. Jay smiled as he saw that it was a life jacket. He swam to the surface and climbed back into the boat. Reaching over, he grabbed the life jacket. One faulty sail plus one distracted Archie equals one empty life vest.

_"Mission accomplished."_

* * *

"The guys have been gone a long time," Theresa said.

"Maybe they had a lot to straighten out," Atlanta suggested.

"Here they come now," Neil announced.

The boat pulled up to the wharf, but something was wrong. A soaking wet, down cast Jay climbed out of the boat.

"Jay...where's Archie?" Atlanta asked, her voice shaking.

"The mast got stuck. Archie was checking it when it came loose and knocked him overboard. I jumped in after him but..."

Jay held up the life vest.

"I was too late."

Atlanta and Theresa gasped. Herry, Neil and Odie just stared at the jacket.

"I'm sorry, guys. Archie's dead," Jay whispered.

* * *

Darkness swirled around him.

His senses were shot, he didn't know which way was up. All he knew was, he was in the water. Archie watched as the last remaining bit of surface light drifting out of his reach. He felt a strong arm fold around his chest. Something was placed around his mouth and nose. Air suddenly rushed into his lungs.

"Hold on, human."

Archie looked up to see two figures floating over him. They had tails instead of legs but their upper bodies were human.

"We have to get him to King Poseidon," one of the figures said, his voice distant.

Archie felt the sensation of weightlessness as the figure that was carrying him began to swim off. He lost consciousness.

* * *

"Young one. Young one."

Archie slowly opened his eyes. Poseidon was "standing" over him.

"Thank Zeus you're all right," the sea god said.

"Wha-where...where am I?" Archie asked.

"In my palace. My scouts found you not too far off."

"How...how was I able..."

"To breathe when they found you? An air bubble was placed over your mouth and nose. While bring up the water in your lungs it allowed you to breathe until you were brought here," Poseidon explained.

Archie groaned and rubbed his head. He was still soaking wet. No surprise seeing as how long he had been underwater. He wiped his purple hair out of his eyes. That was when he realized he was wearing velvet pajamas.

"King Poseidon, here are the hero's clothes."

"Aw, just in time," Poseidon said.

The guard laid the clothes on the bed, bowed and took his leave.

"Now, that you've rested and have regained your breath, you must be anxious to get back to school," Poseidon said.

"Poseidon, where did these pajamas come from?" Archie asked.

"They were specifically made for you, my young friend," the god replied. "They allow you to breathe underwater. Not only that, they grant you the powers of the merpeople."

"You had these made just for me?" Archie asked.

"They might come in handy some day," Poseidon replied.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, young hero. Now, get dressed. I shall contact Hermes."

Poseidon left the room. Archie pushed back the sheets and crawled over to where his white shirt, light blue shorts and light blue jacket were sitting. He pulled off the pajamas and pulled on his dry clothes. He then stuffed the velvet pajamas into a knapsack. Poseidon came back into the room.

"Come with me."

Archie followed the god to what looked like a communication room. A merman was trying to contact Hermes. A screen came on and a very distraught Hermes appeared.

"Hello Poseidon."

"Dear Hermes, whatever is the matter?" Poseidon asked.

"Something terrible has happened! Jay and Archie were out sailing and..."

"Archie fell overboard?"

"Ar-Archie?! Archie, you're alive!" Hermes cried for joy.

"Shh, I want it to be a surprise," Archie whispered. "Can you open a portal for me?"

"Sure thing. But, I can't open it underwater. You'll have to surface," Hermes explained.

"You mean swim?" Archie asked.

"I can create a passage for you," Poseidon said.

Hermes typed away at his keyboard. "Portal's locked and ready when you are."

"Keep that portal open," Poseidon said. The screen went black.

"Come, young hero, let's get you back to Hera."

Poseidon took Archie's arm and pulled him out to the front gate. The human held his breath as the gate was opened. Poseidon created a tunnel passage. It sucked Archie in and closed. At least inside the tunnel there was air. Archie was blasted straight up. The portal opened above the water. He broke the surface of the water and flew through the portal.

"Archie!"

Archie found himself sprawled out on the floor of Hermes' office, gasping for breath and soaking wet. His hair stuck to his face and his clothes hung loose from being water logged. Archie coughed as he pushed himself his feet. Hermes didn't care about the water, he was too happy seeing Archie alive and well (okay, maybe just alive. He looked like he was going to be sick). Archie stumbled out of the office, leaving a watery trail as he walked. It wasn't too hard to find out where the gang was. Voices drifted from Hera's aviary.

"I did the best I could. I tried my hardest."

Suddenly, the doors burst opened.

"Apparently, you didn't try hard enough!"

Everyone swung their gaze to the door to see a panting, soaking wet Archie standing in the doorway.

"Archie!"

Atlanta had her arms around the Warrior in the blink of an eye.

"We thought you were dead!"

"_I_ thought I was dead," Archie replied. He locked eyes with Jay.

_"Better luck next time, pal."_

_"Don't worry, buddy, I will."_

"Let's get you into some dry clothes," Atlanta said.

She led Archie out of the room. "So, how did you get here?"

The friend's voices drifted off as they walked away.

"You children should head back to the dorm," Hera said.

The five friends left the aviary, talking about how relieved they were that Archie was okay. Everyone except Jay. Already he was thinking up another scheme for cutting seven heroes, down to six.

* * *

Ain't I a stinker? And, I've decided to make Archie and Jay telepathic, considering they both have part of Erebus inside them.


	23. Ch 22: Lightning

"Jay and his bright ideas," Archie muttered as he hung his jacket in front of Hephaestus' fire place. He picked up the knapsack and opened it to see how badly the velvet was ruined. He pulled the pajamas out. They weren't ruined at all.

"Duh, Arch, Poseidon only said that they were meant for underwater," Archie said, hitting himself in the head.

"Keep doing that and you'll give yourself a concussion," the god of fire said.

"Thanks, Heph."

"Don't mention it."

Hephaestus went back to his metal work. Archie softly stroked the soft fabric of the light purple and baby blue velvet shirt.

_"Neil would love to get his hands on these,"_ he thought.

Just then, the forge doors opened and in walked Neil. Archie shoved the pajamas back into the bag.

"I'd keep an eye on those clothes if I were you, Arch," Neil said.

"I am," Archie answered, glancing back to see if his jacket hadn't caught fire.

"So, what's in the bag?" Neil asked, slowly lifting up the flap.

"Nothing," Archie said, pulling the bag away. "It...uh...might give you bad luck."

Neil pulled away, his hands lifted slightly in the air. "Keep it away from me! I _need_ my luck."

_"You also need a brain,"_ Archie thought.

He went to check his jacket. Jay was in serious trouble. Throwing the sword was one thing, trying to drown him was another.

"I'm _never_ getting in another boat with Jay."

Archie pulled his jacket down from the railing. He was suddenly lifted into the air by the second strongest person in the entire school.

"Herry, I can't breathe."

"I'm so glad you're alive, Arch. The team just wouldn't be the same without you," Herry said, setting Archie down on his feet.

"Jay would differ," Archie said.

"What do you mean?" Hephaestus asked.

"He was the one that knocked me overboard to begin with," Archie answered.

"He tried to save you," Neil pointed out.

"He tried to _kill_ me! _Again_!" Archie shouted.

"Arch, we know you're still edgy about that sword thing, but Jay wouldn't purposely try to kill you," Hephaestus reasoned.

"Then why did he throw his sword at me in the first place?" Archie asked.

"I told Jay that I would knock him into the next century if he tried to hurt you again," Herry put in.

"_Hurt _is an understatement, Herry. Try _kill_," Archie replied.

He walked out of the forge. Herry, Neil and Hephaestus looked at each other.

Archie made his way into the Olympic sized training gym. He did a few stretches before heading down the track. This was the only way he could blow off steam. When he finished his third lap, Archie took out his whip and used it to hit the obstacles trigger. Hurdles shot up along the track. Along one wall lasers shot out. Archie jumped through them and continued running. He was so focused on running that he didn't notice the doors open. The hurdles and lasers suddenly disappeared and lightning began shooting down. Archie cried out in surprise as a bolt of lightning nearly struck him from behind. He quickened his pace as the bolts came down faster. Archie ditched the track and bolted for the door. But a lightning bolt crashed down in front of him.

"Ares!"

Archie took off again as the lightning intensified. Ares ran into the gym.

"For the love of Zeus, what's going on?" he yelled.

"I didn't do anything!" Archie said.

Ares tried to shut the module down but it wouldn't respond. Archie cried out in pain as a white hot pain shot up his right leg. The brace had been struck. He half-ran half-limped out of the way of another blast. There was only one way to stop the attacks. Archie headed for the module. Ares saw what his student was doing and jumped out of the way. Archie leaped over the module. Lightning struck the control board and the lightning ceased to fire. Archie toppled to the floor. Ares was at his side in a heartbeat.

"Archie, are you all right?"

"My leg," Archie groaned.

"We'll get you to Chiron and get that leg checked out," Ares said, picking Archie up and swinging him over his shoulders.

"Sorry about the module," Archie apologized.

"That can always be replaced. You, however, can't," Ares replied.

He walked into Chiron's study. The centaur sighed.

"What happened this time?" he asked.

"He was struck by lightning," Ares answered.

"Ares, those bolts are stunners," Chiron said.

"Someone turned them real," Ares explained.

Chiron began to work on taking off Archie's brace, but immediately stopped when the human screamed in pain.

"First your arm and now your leg," Chiron said.

"What?"

"Your brace has been successfully melted to your skin," Chiron explained. "Someone must have it in for you."

"Yeah, his name is Jay," Archie growled.

"Jay was nowhere near the stadium," Ares put in.

"Well, it couldn't have been Cronus," Archie pointed out.

"We'll figure that out _after_ this brace comes off," Chiron interrupted.

"How?" Archie asked.

"Very, _very _carefully," Chiron replied.

Archie gulped. This just _wasn't_ his day.

* * *

The next day, the news about the lightning incident had spread through the school like wildfire.

"That brace is going to be the death of him."

"I hope."

"Bruce!"

"The guy's looking for attention," Bruce said.

Something hit him in the back of the head.

"Say that again and I won't pretend to miss your neck!"

Bruce turned around and saw a very annoyed Archie (half) standing behind him.

"Nice crutches, King," Bruce teased.

"You're just lookin' for trouble," Archie said.

"You're the one who was struck by lightning," Bruce pointed out.

"True. But that doesn't mean I'm useless," Archie replied.

"So, where did it happen?" Ashley, one of the girls that was with Bruce, asked.

"Up at Theresa's dad's place. We went to visit him and got caught in a lightning storm. You know the rest," Archie explained.

Bruce snickered. Archie swung his left crutch under Bruce's legs and the quarterback fell to the floor. Everyone laughed. Archie smiled in satisfaction. These crutches were good for something after all. And, if he was lucky he would be able to use them to knock some sense into Jay if the Leader ever came around. First the sword, then the boat, and now the lightning. Jay was trying to kill him, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. But there were two problems. One, no one believed it was good, innocent, "no longer" infected Jay. And two, Archie had no idea _why_ Jay was trying to bump him off. The boat and the lightning were two "accidents" in a row. The bell rang and the students headed for their next class. Bruce pushed himself to his feet.

"Don't worry, Baxter, in two week's time I'll be back on my feet as well," Archie said.

"How is it that you heal so fast? Are you a werewolf or something?" Bruce asked.

Archie couldn't help but smirk.

"Come on, Baxter, _everyone_ knows werewolves don't exist," Ashley said.

_"If she only knew,"_ Archie thought.

"He's either a werewolf or a Hades kid," Bruce said.

The smirk disappeared from Archie's face. "What did you say?"

"You can't get sick and you heal two days after an accident. If that's not the signs of a creature of Hades, I don't know what is," Bruce explained.

A fire seemed to light in Archie's eyes.

"What's going on here?"

Herry walked up.

"Nothing. We're just trying to figure out if King's human or not," Bruce said.

Archie was about to pounce when Neil grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"We have a project to do," he whispered.

The blond pulled Archie away from the potential fight.

"Call my friend a creature of Hades again and I'll slam you so hard you'll be feeling it for the next forty years," Herry threatened.

Bruce held his hands up in mock surrender.

"No need to get violent, Britton. I'll find out someday."

Bruce walked off to class. Herry headed off in the direction Neil and Archie had gone. Everything was back to normal alright.

* * *

I don't know what it is with my and the number two. All my chapters lately have been taking me two days to finish. Oh, well. What do you think of the chapter?


	24. Ch 23: Immunity

_Italics_ at beginning of the chapter are Jay's and Archie's thoughts. _Italics_ in second part of the chapter is a dream.

_

* * *

__"What does it take to get rid of you?"_

_"Whatever it is, you don't have it."_

Jay opened his eyes. He was sitting on his bed, a mythology book still sat in his lap. He had been honing his powers ever since he returned from the school. A knock came at the door.

"Knock, knock, you good for nothing slime-ball."

Jay held up his hand and created a portal in the door. Archie was pulled through.

"I see your leg has healed," Jay said, getting to his feet.

"Yeah. You know I had my doubts that you weren't infected anymore, but now I see my suspicions were right," Archie replied.

"About what?" Jay asked.

"You were never better to begin with," Archie accused.

Jay's eyes turned a fierce red. Archie backed up to the door. The room was suddenly cast into a thick darkness. A few seconds later it disappeared. Archie opened his eyes and looked around.

"Let that be a warning," Jay said.

Archie headed out of the room. He rubbed his neck. That had been the thickest darkness Jay had cast yet. You could practically feel it.

"Archie, come on, the movie's starting," Atlanta called.

"Coming," Archie called back. He headed downstairs.

The others were already in the living room.

"Arch, you feeling okay? You don't look so good," Theresa commented.

"I don't feel so good," Archie confirmed.

Herry shot to his feet as Archie lost his balance.

"I got you, buddy," the Brawn said as he caught his friend. He frowned and he placed a hand on Archie's forehead. "He's burning up."

"What?" Atlanta breathed.

"He _can't_ be," Odie said. "Archie doesn't do sick."

Archie moaned. Herry picked the Warrior up in his arms and carried him up to his room. The others followed. Atlanta headed for the washroom, grabbed the first aid kit and ran back into Archie's room. Jay came out of his room.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Did Archie seem sick when he came to talk to you?" Theresa asked.

"Theresa, Archie doesn't get sick," Jay replied.

"Tell that to his one hundred and twenty degree temperature," Herry said, coming of Archie's room and waving a thermometer.

"Ouch," Jay commented.

"Jay, this is serious! Something took away Archie's immunity!" Theresa cried.

"Maybe it's Erebus," Jay suggested.

"How?" Odie asked.

"I'm not the god," Jay pointed out.

"But, you knew how he acted and thought," Odie noted.

"Odie, if you're suggesting that I had something to do with this..."

"I'm not suggesting anything," Odie cut in. "This goes _beyond_ logic. Archie couldn't take away his own immunity. Something else had too."

"He was complaining about a headache when he came to talk to me," Jay said.

"What...lies is he...telling now?" Archie asked.

"Archie, shush," Atlanta whispered.

"You should really do a CAT scan on him," Jay told his teammates. He went back into his room and closed the door.

Odie and Theresa looked at each other.

Jay smiled to himself. He opened his hand and a dark purple orb appeared in his hand.

_You stole his immunity? Good work._

_"He won't last the night."_

* * *

It was one of the longest nights the Brownstone had ever experienced. Six out of seven residents knew what it was like to be sick and could handle it, Archie had never been sick before and therefore no one had any idea how to handle it. Atlanta and Theresa took turns watching him, it was the only thing anyone could do seeing as how they had no idea what he was suffering from. Archie tossed and turned, trying to find some relief from his discomfort. Atlanta sighed and slipped her fingers in between his.

"I wish I knew what to do," she whispered.

"Jay," Archie moaned.

"Pardon?"

"Jay...darkness..."

"Theresa!"

Theresa came running into the room. "What is it?" she asked.

"Archie's been mumbling about Jay all night," Atlanta said.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Theresa pointed out.

_"Guys, please, you have to believe me."_

_"You're losing it," Atlanta said._

_"Jay's not as well as he claims to be," Archie accused._

_"Arch, the only sick one around here is you," Jay said._

_"And this coming from the person who's been stealing the god's powers," Archie spat._

_"You have no proof of that," Jay snapped._

_"Archie. Jay. That is enough," Hera ordered. "I will hear no more of these accusations."_

_"But..."_

_"Archie, this is your last warning," Hera said._

Archie groaned.

"Archie?"

_"I knew it!"_

_"Archie? What are...you're supposed to be..."_

_"Dead? Yeah. I was supposed to be dead twice already, no thanks to you."_

_Jay grabbed his gravitational sword. The blade swung out in one smooth motion. "Don't worry, this time I won't make the same mistake," he promised._

_Archie took out his whip and released the chain. "So, what's next? An arrow through my heel? Chimera poison? I'm giving you options here, Jay," he said._

_"No, you're mocking me," Jay growled._

_"You're not as stupid as I thought," Archie taunted._

_"Watch it, pal," Jay growled through clenched teeth._

"Archie! Archie!"

_Archie tighted his grip on his whip._

_"What are you waiting for? Your girl's calling," Jay said._

_"Not until I have my immunity back," Archie replied. And with that, he charged._

_Jay swung his sword at Archie's head. The Warrior ducked and slid under Jay's legs. Jay turned around only to be met by Archie's fist. The Leader fell back. Archie tackled him to the ground. When Jay hit the ground his fist opened and a dark purple orb rolled out. Archie jumped for the orb but Jay grabbed him around the waist and pinned him to the ground._

_"Get-off!"_

_Archie slammed his elbow into Jay's stomach. Jay fell back and grasped his stomach. Archie shot to his feet and dove for the orb._

"Archie!"

Archie's eyes shot open. He gasped for breath.

"What's going on?" Theresa asked.

Archie sat up and rubbed his head. "He should really put dreams into consideration," he muttered.

"This isn't about Jay again, is it?" Atlanta asked.

"I'm telling you, Atlanta, Jay's not himself. He's only pretending he's better," Archie explained.

Atlanta looked at Theresa. The psychic shrugged.

"Never mind," Archie said. "Just...go back to bed."

He pulled the sheets over his head and went back to sleep. Atlanta and Theresa walked out of the room.

"He doesn't mean to push you away, Atlanta," Theresa whispered.

"I know. But, I feel like I'm losing him," Atlanta said softly.

"How's Archie?" Herry asked as he came out of his room.

"His fever's broke," Theresa replied. "I think he's going to be okay."

Jay snapped a box in half as he overheard the short conversation.

_Forget trying to kill him. Just get him away from the team._

_"That gives me an idea."_

* * *

Don't know if that chapter made sense or not. Having Erebus a part you makes for some handy dreams, doesn't it? Anyway, tell me what you think.


	25. Ch 24: The Breaking Point

All was quiet in the Secret Wing. Hephaestus was cleaning up his workshop when the fire suddenly went out. The god of fire lifted his goggles up and looked at the fireplace. That fire had never gone out, it couldn't go out. Hephaestus looked around. It was starting to get cold, but not from the lack of fire. Hephaestus shivered.

"Hello, Heph."

Hephaestus swung around to see a shadowy figure standing in the doorway. He narrowed his eyes against the growing darkness.

"Archie? What are you doing here this time of night?"

"I couldn't sleep and wanted to visit a friend."

Hephaestus frowned. Something wasn't right. There was a chill in Archie's voice. He spoke like Theresa did when her aura stole the gods' powers, cold and uncaring.

"Archie, are you feeling okay?" Hephaestus asked.

Archie walked up to the blacksmith. An eerie smirk was on his face and his eyes shone with an untamed fire.

"I've never felt better," the Warrior replied, his hands bursting into flames.

* * *

"How can you regain something from a dream?" Herry asked.

"Stranger things have happened, Herry," Theresa pointed out.

"We're _living_ one of those things," Archie added.

The three friends walked into the main chamber of the Secret Wing. They stopped in their tracks. The silence was overpowering.

"Why isn't there any sound?" Herry asked.

"Something's not right. I sense..."

Theresa ran for Hera's room. The boys followed her. Theresa burst into Hera's aviary and gasped. The queen of the gods was lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Hera!"

Theresa ran over to Hera's side.

"Something hit this place hard," Herry put in.

"Ya think?" Archie asked.

"How _dare_ you?!"

The heroes turned to face the door. Artemis and Ares were standing in the doorway.

"How dare we what?" Herry asked, shrugging.

"Not you, _him_!" Artemis spat, pointing at Archie.

"What did I do?" Archie asked.

"Archie, you were like a son to me. How could you betray us?" Ares asked.

"Betray you? I-I would never..."

Archie trailed off. He looked to Herry and Theresa for back-up. They were just as lost and confused as he was. Archie was almost too afraid to ask his next question.

"Wh-what did I do...exactly?" he asked.

"You attacked Hephaestus, me, Ares, and Hera last night," Artemis replied.

"He couldn't have. Archie had his immunity stolen last night and could barely move," Theresa explained.

"Then, why is he here?" Ares asked.

"He says he got his immunity back in a dream," Herry replied.

"I did, and I did _not_ attack the gods," Archie told Ares.

This was getting worse by the minute. Did he really attack the gods? If he did, he couldn't remember. After his fever broke, Archie couldn't remember a lot of things. Hera slowly woke up.

"Are you okay, Miss. Hera?" Theresa asked.

"Considering what has taken place, I'm fine," Hera replied.

Theresa helped Hera to her feet. "Herry, call the others. This matter is no longer in control."

* * *

"How could Archie attack the gods? He was at the Brownstone all night," Odie said.

"Maybe he sent Erebus," Jay suggested.

Archie glared at the Leader.

_"Or maybe _you_ did."_

_"Prove it."_

"Archie. Jay. This is no time to be having a staring contest," Ares said.

The boys looked away from each other.

"Archie, if you cannot learn to control this shadow, I will have no choice but to temporarily take you off the team," Hera said.

"But, Hera, what about the prophecy? If you remove Archie from the team the prophecy will be broken," Theresa explained.

"We have more important things to worry about than the prophecy, right now, Theresa," Jay spoke up.

"Like what? You're hostile take over?" Archie asked.

"Archie!" Atlanta scowled.

"Guys, please, you have to believe me."

"You're losing it," Atlanta said.

"Jay's not as well as he claims to be," Archie accused.

"Arch, the only sick one around here is _you_," Jay said.

"And this coming from the person who's been stealing the god's powers," Archie spat.

"You have no proof of that," Jay snapped.

"Archie. Jay. That is enough," Hera ordered. "I will hear no more of these accusations."

"But..."

"Archie, this is your last warning," Hera said.

Archie fell silent.

"Stay close to the dorm and the school, understand?" Hera asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the seven teenagers replied.

"Class dismissed," Hera said.

The heroes walked out of the room and headed for the portal.

* * *

"Archie, you had some nerve accusing Jay of stealing the gods' powers," Theresa said.

"Am I the only one who can see through his little sham?" Archie asked.

"Jay is _not_ shamming, Arch," Odie insisted.

The team was back at the Brownstone. Jay and Neil had gone up to their rooms, Herry had gone to the kitchen to get a snack and Theresa, Archie, Atlanta and Odie were in the living room. Archie was getting desperate. Jay wouldn't hesitate to steal all their powers and abilities if need be and they were oblivious to see it. Jay had gone so far as to target his own team.

"Guys, please, I'm begging you! Theresa, can't you read his mind and find out if I'm telling the truth?" Archie asked.

"Persephone already did that, Archie," Theresa replied.

Archie rubbed his eyes. He had to expose Jay before he destroyed what was left of the team.

"You know what? Forget it. If you guys are so oblivious to the obvious, I give up," the Warrior said.

He threw his hands up in surrender and went up to his room. He would show them that Jay was playing them. If it was the last thing he did.

* * *

The Brownstone was quiet. Mumblings and snores drifted from the different rooms. Everyone was fast asleep, save for one person.

Theresa stirred slightly as the door of her room was slowly opened, but she didn't wake up. A dark shadow fell over the sleeping psychic.

"Light night stroll?"

The figure turned around.

"What are you doing in here, Archie?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Jay."

Jay turned to face Archie.

"You may have the others fooled, but I'm not that stupid," Archie whispered.

"No. You're just clueless," Jay whispered back.

Suddenly, a scythe appeared in his hand. Archie's eyes widened.

"You...you stole Cronus' powers?" he whispered a cry.

"Told you, you're just clueless," Jay said.

He swung the scythe. Archie ducked out of the way and out of the room. He wasn't going to allow Jay to hurt Theresa. It was amazing what these people could sleep through. Archie ducked into the first room that provided an open door, which ended up being Jay's room. A cold shiver shot down Archie's spine as soon as he stepped into the room. He stole a quick glance around the room. It no longer held any treasures from Jay's sailing adventures. No honorary pictures of Jason and the Argonauts. It was a room for a dead person.

Archie dodged another swing from the scythe. Jay summoned another scythe.

"Oh, come on, that's not fair," Archie said.

"Since when have you known me to fight fair?" Jay asked.

He brought the two weapons down. Theresa's eyes snapped awake after a loud crash sounded from Jay's room. She heard two cries of pain.

"What are you trying to do?! Kill me?!"

Theresa jumped out of bed and ran for Jay's room. The others had already gathered around the door. Archie and Jay were having some sort of wrestling match.

"Are those Cronus' scythes?" Atlanta asked.

"Who summoned those?" Neil asked.

"Get-off!" Jay yelled.

He pushed Archie back, causing him to fall back into the desk. Archie had managed to get one scythe away from Jay at least, but the fight had brought about unwanted attention.

"He's gone crazy," Jay said.

"_You_ were the one who was going to steal Theresa's powers!" Archie yelled.

"Prove it!" Jay shouted.

Before either boy could move, Herry stepped between them.

"Drop the weapons, both of you," he ordered.

Archie and Jay did as they were told. The scythes disappeared when they hit the floor.

"I was only checking on Theresa. _He_ was the one who attacked first," Jay explained, pointing to Archie.

"Out of my way, Herry!" Archie ordered.

Herry held Archie back to keep him from attacking Jay.

"Arch, calm down."

No one knew what to do. They didn't know who to believe. Archie definitely seemed to know what he was talking about, but Jay was the leader. Herry managed to calm Archie down enough to let him go.

"Guys, how dense can you be? Jay's been playing you like cards."

"Archie, I think that's enough."

Everyone looked at Atlanta. Her eyes were filling with tears. Archie felt his heart break. Out of everyone, he had hoped that Atlanta would at least believe him.

"You believe him," Archie said calmly. He rubbed his eyes. "I guess that's it then."

"Archie," Theresa began.

Archie pushed passed his friends and headed for the front door. The others followed.

"Archie," Odie called.

"You believe him, too, Odie. And I thought you were the smart one," Archie snapped.

Odie stopped in his tracks.

"We were supposed to be a team. But teammates talk to each other, they listen to each other, they _trust_ one another."

Archie turned to look at the five people on the stairs.

"I guess we're not a team."

"What are you saying?" Theresa asked.

"I quit," Archie said. And with that, he walked out the door without looking back.

* * *

I guess Jay got his wish, huh? What do you think?


	26. Ch 25: Hitting Home

**A/N**: A quick shout out to African Titan for correcting me on something in chapter 20: Love and Hate. Archie has the power of perception. I had have this nasty habit of writing down things that I hear instead of what's in my head. Thanks African Titan for pointing that out and I have made the necessary changes to that chapter.

* * *

The team was left standing on the steps in stunned silence.

"Can he do that?" Herry asked, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"He just did, Herry," Odie whispered.

Tears streamed down Atlanta's face. What had she been thinking? She had driven away the person she had come to love. Theresa wiped away her own tears. That was it. They were done for. If Cronus didn't finish them off then Erebus would.

_Let them mourn._

_"He will suffer for his treachery."_

_In time, young hero. In time._

* * *

The next day, six down cast teenagers walked into the Secret Wing. Hermes was the first to greet them.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Archie left," Atlanta replied softly.

"He...what?" Hermes asked.

"Archie quit," Odie repeated.

"He said we weren't a team anymore and left," Herry added.

Hermes fell silent (and he was one of the more talkative immortals, mostly due to the fact that he was the messenger to the gods). Just then, Hera and the other immortals came out.

"What has happened?" Hera asked.

"Archie has left the team," Hermes answered.

"What has caused this?" Hera asked, obviously horrified.

None of the humans spoke, not even Jay. Hera looked at Hermes, who could only offer a shrug.

"Neil, what happened?" Hera asked.

Neil looked anywhere but at Hera. Normally he would happily give his opinion or explain a situation, but now, he felt like a clam.

"Herry? Odie? Someone tell me why Archie has left," Hera ordered.

"We didn't believe him," Atlanta whispered.

Hera looked at the Huntress.

"Pardon?"

"He was trying to warn us about something considering Jay and...I didn't believe him," Atlanta explained.

Suddenly, the large oak doors burst opened and a furious Ares stormed in. Atlanta felt her heart stop when she saw two objects clenched in the god's fists. One hung from a gold chain, the other an adamantium whip.

"Where is he?!" Ares demanded, holding up the pendant. "What greater power than the gods has driven Archie to the point of retreat?!"

"Something concerning Jay," Hera replied calmly, glancing at the Leader.

Jay hesitantly looked up into Hera's eyes. A cold shiver shot down his spine.

_Be still. She cannot harm you._

That didn't stop Jay's heart from skipping a beat. What if Hera knew? She would send the gods out on a search for Archie if she found out.

_"She can't find out. At least, not yet."_

Ares clung to the pendant like a lifeline. "Hera, where is my student?" he asked.

"Now is not the time," Hera replied.

Ares looked like he was going to explode into a fury.

"Children, you are to stay at the dormitory until further notice," Hera instructed.

The six remaining teammates made their way out of the Secret Wing. Hera kept her eyes on Jay's back until he disappeared behind the doors.

"Hermes, go to the Oracle and ask where we can find Archie," Hera instructed.

Hermes saluted and flew off.

"What good will that do?" Artemis asked.

"One of them is hosting the greater power. If we are to stop Erebus we must have both Jay _and_ Archie. The Oracle will help in finding the wayward hero," Hera explained. She sighed. "I just hope he will be willing to come back."

* * *

Theresa glanced at her PMR. The clock read one o'clock in the morning. She groaned. Another night of restless sleep and horrifying visions. Time was going by too fast for her liking. One week and _still_ no sign of Archie. Theresa only hoped he wasn't in the clutches of Cronus. Hermes had given up on going to the Oracle. All the old psychic said was that Archie would resurface when the time was right.

"Poor Hermes," Theresa whispered.

She glanced at a picture that was sitting on her bedside table. It was picture of the seven heroes and their mentors. Standing side by side were Archie and Jay. That was back before any of this mess happened, back when they were a team. Theresa sighed. Archie was right. They weren't a real team unless they could trust one another.

Theresa was going to pick her PMR up, but it suddenly disappeared. She frowned. The psychic felt around the top of the table, but all she could feel was a very thick darkness. The room temperature began to rapidly drop. Theresa wrapped the blankets around her body. A vision suddenly hit her. But, it was the same kind of vision she had had when they were checking the woods. All she saw was darkness.

"Theresa," a calm, haunting voice whispered.

Theresa froze.

"Theresa."

A figure stepped out of the darkness. Theresa gasped.

"J-Jay?" she whispered.

Jay stepped closer to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Theresa asked.

"I just came to check on you," Jay replied. "And to ask you for a favor."

"At this time of night?" Theresa asked.

"Well, maybe to _take_ something _from_ you," Jay corrected himself.

"Wha..."

The Brownstone rang with Theresa's scream. Neil screamed and fell out of bed. Herry was out of his room and into Theresa's in a heartbeat. He slammed through the door, sending the door flying off its hinges and half way across the room. What met him almost made his heart stop. Jay was standing over the bed of an unconscious Theresa. An orange orb floated in his hand. Herry narrowed his eyes against the darkness. Inside the orb it was a dark, mystical blue.

"Jay?!"

Jay turned around and smiled.

"Herry, how are you?" he asked.

"What did you do to Theresa?" Herry demanded.

Jay looked from Theresa to the orb. "Nothing much," he replied.

Herry cracked his knuckles. "Archie was right about you all along," he growled.

"Just figured that out, did you? Man, you're slow," Jay said.

He closed his hand and his body shone orange for a quick second.

"Herry? What's going..."

Atlanta trailed off when she saw the scene before her. Neil and Odie came running into the room.

"Now that the gang's all here, except for that no-good Archie, the fun can finally begin," Jay said.

"What has Archie ever done to you?" Odie asked.

"He kept me from doing this."

Jay sent out a massive shadow. The four friends were enveloped.

"I...don't feel...so...good..."

Odie collapsed. Neil was the second to lose consciousness. Atlanta tried to run at Jay, but her legs didn't want to work. She fell to her knees. Herry collapsed beside her. The shadow disappeared and the room began to reappear. Atlanta strained to look up. Jay was holding four different colored orbs. One was gold, one was green, one was red and the last was dark brown.

"Thank you for your powers," Jay said.

Atlanta's eyes widened. The gold orb was Neil's, the green one was Herry's, the red one was hers, and the dark brown was Odie's. Jay clapped his hands together and the orbs disappeared. His body shone with the four different colors for a split second.

"And now, I'm off."

And with that, Jay disappeared. Atlanta hung her head.

"Archie, what have we done?" she whispered.

* * *

I'm feeling unnaturally evil right now. I guess I'm still hyped up on candy from Halloween. Anyway, please review. Constructive criticism is welcomed.


	27. Ch 26: Home Coming

Even though it had only been a week, it was still strange returning to New Olympia. In that past week he had learned how to control ordinary shadows, cast the world around him in darkness, and hone his new telepathic ability. Now, if he could only convince the others that Jay was still being controlled.

Archie looked across the street at the newspaper stand. The Oracle was sitting there as usual, reading a paper and sipping coffee. Archie made his way over.

"Ah, Archie, I was wondering when you would return," Oracle said as the Warrior walked up.

"Oracle, when you told me to be cautious of the people around me, and that they wouldn't hesitate to turn if the time called for it, you were talking about Jay, weren't you?" Archie asked.

Oracle sighed. "Sadly, yes, I was. Some mortals will do anything to stop whatever pain it is they are facing, whether it be physical or emotional. They will take the easy way out of a problem. For Jay, it was both a physical and emotional problem," he explained.

"Trying to fight off Erebus," Archie added.

Oracle nodded. "He didn't want to go through that pain anymore so he let Erebus take control. You didn't want to go through the strain of protecting your friends, so you quit," he replied.

Archie frowned. "Protecting my friends? Protecting them from what?" he asked.

"Honestly. Who have you been trying to expose?" Oracle asked.

"Jay didn't...did he?"

"See for yourself," Oracle said, taking Archie's left wrist and taking off his sunglasses.

Archie gasped as images suddenly flashed in his mind. He saw Jay standing over Theresa, Herry, Atlanta, Odie and Neil. He was holding five different colored orbs. The scene suddenly changed to Poseidon's underwater palace. Archie fell up against the stand as the images vanished. Oracle put his glasses back on.

"Nothing to worry about, folks, he just had a slight dizzy spell," he told the people passing by.

"What was that?" Archie breathed, trying to regain his breath.

"That was the future," Oracle replied.

"How is that possible?" Archie asked.

"I was able to tap into your telepathic ability for a short time," Oracle explained.

Archie stood up and rubbed his head. "You showed me Poseidon's palace. Is that where Jay's going to strike next?" he asked.

"Only one way to find out," Oracle replied.

He reached into his jacket and took out two objects. One was a gold pendant, the other a whip.

"An old friend came to visit and told me, if I should see you, give you these," Oracle explained.

Archie picked up his whip and smiled. "Hermes," he breathed.

* * *

Hermes walked into his office and stretched. He flipped on the switch to turn on the lights and jumped when he saw someone at his desk.

"Hello, Hermes."

"Oh, Jay, you startled me," Hermes said. "What can I do for you?"

Jay turned the chair around to look at the god.

"I came to get something from you," he replied.

"Really? What?" Hermes asked.

Jay suddenly cast the office into a thick shadow. Hermes groaned as he felt his powers being drained. He fell to the floor. Jay called the shadow back and opened his hand. A gold, winged orb appeared in his hand.

"Jay, _you've_ been attacking the gods?" Hermes asked.

"Even you immortals are dense," Jay commented, absorbing Hermes' powers.

He opened the portal revealing Poseidon's palace.

"Jay, you can't be serious," Hermes said.

"Once I have all of the gods' powers I'll be invincible. Cronus is in for a rude awakening when I take control of this city."

"Jay, what's happened to you?" Hermes asked.

Jay looked back to the mortal god. His eyes were glowing a fierce red.

"Erebus," Hermes whispered.

"If I couldn't have the Ancient World, then I'll have this world," the god of darkness hissed.

Jay turned into a shadow and sailed through the portal. Hermes hung his head.

* * *

Archie walked into the dorm.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called.

Everything was dead silent, which was never a good sign.

"Hello? Neil? Theresa? Anybody?"

Archie headed upstairs. His blood ran cold when he saw the signs of a struggle. He ran over to Theresa's room. The door was half way across the room. Theresa's PMR lay on the floor along with a picture. Archie walked over and picked up the two objcects. He placed the picture back on the table. He didn't have time to get sentimental, he had to find the rest of the team. Archie flipped through the features on Theresa's radio. There was nothing. No clue, no message, no nothing.

"I have to find the others. And I also have to warn Poseidon," Archie told himself.

He ran to his room and practically dove under his bed. He pulled out the knapsack and the clothes from the sea god. It was time to face his greatest fear and test the ability of the velvet fabric.

* * *

Hermes was checking to see if Jay had tampered with his communications array when the door opened.

"Hermes, I need your help."

Hermes swung around.

"Archie! You're back!" he cried for joy.

"Can you open a portal for me? I have to get to Poseidon's palace," Archie explained.

"If you're going to warn him you're too late. Jay just took a portal there, not too long ago," Hermes explained.

Archie frowned. "Hermes, are you okay?" he asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Hermes replied.

"You seem...different," Archie answered.

Hermes sighed. "Guess we all should have listened to you when you said there was something still wrong with Jay," he said.

"He stole your powers?" Archie asked.

Hermes nodded.

"Don't worry, I'll get them back," Archie promised.

The portal doors opened and Poseidon's palace appeared.

"Archie, you don't have any diving gear," Hermes said.

Archie reached inside his jacket and lifted up a velvet collar.

"A little present from Poseidon," he replied.

Without a second thought, Archie dove through the portal. As soon as he hit the water on the other side, he felt his legs begin to web. Within seconds he was sporting an odd, purple colored tail. The shirt allowed him to breathe underwater as if he was above water. Archie swam for the palace. He could hear fighting inside as he headed inside. He swam for the throne room.

"You will pay for this, traitor!" Poseidon roared.

Jay was about to envelope everything in darkness when something slammed into his back. He turned around and received a fish tail in the face.

"That's for trying to kill me!" Archie yelled.

Jay rubbed his jaw. "I see you've learned some new tricks," he noted.

"I see you've just learned to play dumb," Archie replied.

Jay chuckled. "Is that the best you can come up with?" he asked.

"No. _This_ is."

Archie shot out shadow orb. It slammed into Jay's chest. He found himself paralyzed.

"Well done," Poseidon praised. "I see you've found a good use for those clothes."

"Having a tail really comes in handy," Archie said.

Jay managed to squirm some life back into his body.

"Fine. You win this round. But, don't think you'll be so lucky next time."

And with that, Jay vanished.

"I'll be waiting," Archie whispered.

* * *

A slightly less evil chapter, but Hermes still got his powers taken. It pained me to do it because Hermes is my favorite immortal. On the bright side, Archie found a good use for those pj's :) . Well, tell me what you think.


	28. Ch 27: Last Hope

**A/N**: I have been reviewing my earlier chapters and have come to realize I got the plays in "King" mixed up. So, I have changed the lines from _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ to _Macbeth_. I think the lines from _Macbeth_ suit this story better.

* * *

Persephone was in her solarium watering her plants. She was humming a soft tune as she worked. The doors opened. Persephone turned around.

"Why, hello, Jay. How are you?" the goddess of spring asked.

Jay didn't answer. He walked up to Persephone. As he walked the room filled with shadows. Archie ran for Persephone's room as fast as he could, but he was too late. Jay absorbed Persephone's powers as well as the powers from the Seasons.

"Too bad you can't save them all, Arch," Jay said.

"Why are you doing this?" Archie demanded.

"Why? Because it's _destiny._ _That's_ why," Jay replied.

Archie took out his whip. Jay smirked.

"We could have ruled this planet, Archie. I could have made you a god."

Archie scoffed. "Where have I heard that one before?" he asked.

He released the chain and swung the whip. Jay caught the chain. Archie's eyes widened as the chain was turned into ice. He dropped his weapon as the handle was frozen.

"Fine. We'll do this the old fashioned way."

Archie charged and tackled Jay to the floor. The force of impact knocked the air out of Jay's lungs. Archie jumped to his feet.

"What's the matter, Fearless Leader? Not as strong as you used to be?" the Warrior taunted.

Jay's hand burst into flames and he shot a fire ball at Archie. He ducked as the fire ball flew over his head.

"Been tapping into Heph's powers, I see."

Jay shot out a blanket of snow. Archie was buried beneath it. Jay got to his feet and walked over. The snow rapidly began to melt and Archie shot out. He grabbed Jay around the waist and forced him to the floor again. Jay felt some of his power drain. He brought his knee up into Archie's stomach. The Warrior fell back and grasped his stomach. Jay scrambled to his feet. Archie regained his breath and looked up.

"What did you do?" Jay demanded.

Archie held up his hands and they gracefully lit into flames. A sly smirked slipped across his face.

"It's payback time."

Archie shot out a torrent of flames. Jay dodged the attacks. He ran for the door. Archie shot out another fire ball. This time it nailed Jay in the back. The former Leader toppled to the floor. Archie got to his feet and walked over. He placed a foot on Jay's back. Jay winced in pain.

"I didn't know you could drain stolen powers," Jay said.

"Yes, well, you should have thought about _that_ before you began stealing powers," Archie replied.

He reached down and grabbed the back of Jay's shirt. He hauled the Leader to his feet.

"So, now what, Archie? Going to turn me in and give the gods back their powers?" Jay asked.

"If I knew how, then yes," Archie answered. "But, I don't, so I guess I'll just have to settle for giving you to the gods."

He turned to Persephone.

"Are you okay?"

"Apart from being turned mortal again, I'm fine," Persephone replied. "Don't worry about me, take of that traitor."

"With pleasure," Archie replied.

He pushed Jay out of the room. Now, to find Hera.

* * *

All of the gods had gathered in Hera's aviary. Ares and Artemis were guarding Jay as Archie tried to locate at least one of his teammates on his PMR. Hera was pacing nervously.

"Hera, calm down," Zeus told her.

"She has a right to worry, I can't get an answer from any of them," Archie said.

He turned to Jay.

"Where are they?"

"Where are who?"

Archie grabbed Jay's shirt. "Don't play stupid with me, Jay," he threatened.

Jay felt even more of his powers drain. Archie stumbled back as he was hit with a vision. The shadowy image of Erebus invaded his mind.

_It seems I will have to eliminate that factor from each mortal._

Archie's eyes shot open.

"See something?" Jay asked smugly.

Archie growled. He grabbed Jay's shirt again.

"Where are they?!" the Warrior yelled, shaking Jay.

"Keep doing that and I might forget," Jay replied arrogantly.

Archie slammed his fist into Jay's stomach. The Leader fell to his knees.

"I'll ask you again, snake. Where are Herry, Odie, Neil, Theresa and Atlanta?" Archie demanded.

Jay caught his breath and looked up.

"Why don't you ask the Oracle? I'm sure he knows," he answered.

"If you haven't stolen _his_ powers as well," Archie spat.

He stormed out of the room and headed for the portal.

* * *

"Archie, good to see you again," Oracle greeted.

"I need your help," Archie said.

"Otherwise you wouldn't be here," Oracle pointed out. "What can I help you with?"

"A number of things, actually," Archie answered.

"Oh? Such as?"

Archie held up the silver charm he had given Atlanta after destroying Lykon.

"I can't find them. And Jay won't co-operate," Archie explained.

Oracle lifted up his glasses. A mystical blue orb appeared in his hand.

"The good news is, they are alive. The bad news is, it won't be for much longer if Erebus has his way," he replied.

"Where are they?" Archie asked.

"Somewhere in the Underworld. Other than that, you'll have to find them on your own," Oracle told the hero as he put his glasses back on. The orb disappeared.

Archie slipped the silver charm back into his pocket.

"Now, you have something else to ask about?" Oracle asked.

Archie looked around to see if anyone was paying attention. He then held up his hand and it lit into flames.

"Hephaestus' fire, am I right?" Oracle asked.

"Jay stole it, then I somehow managed to steal it from him," Archie explained, putting the fire out before anyone saw it. "Is there any way to give the gods back their powers?"

"There is," Oracle replied simply.

"What?" Archie asked.

"It's not that simple. Unlike Theresa's aura which you could destroy by shooting it, Erebus is immortal and therefore cannot be killed. The only way to give the gods back their powers requires a bit of a sacrifice on your part," Oracle explained.

Archie looked at the ground. That hadn't been the answer he had been expecting.

"All right, thanks," he said.

He walked off. Archie rubbed his tired eyes. He had come home to apologize for leaving only to find out that the people he was going to apologize to were trapped in the Underworld. No _way_ was he apologizing to Jay for anything. Archie took a short cut through an alley. He was half way through when he heard a beeping sound. Archie turned around. There was an explosion. People screamed and ran for their lives. Oracle looked at the orb in his hand. He saw the building crumble. Oracle closed his eyes as the orb disappeared.

"There goes our last hope."

* * *

That was fun. What do you think?


	29. Ch 28: Dead and Alive

"Ugh, this stinks!"

Atlanta kicked the wall of the cage.

"Jay is _so_ dead when I get my hands on him."

"You mean _if_ you get your hands on him," Neil pointed out.

"I should have sensed something," Theresa said softly.

"You're not the only one Jay tricked, Theresa," Odie spoke up.

"I know," Theresa answered. "How's Herry?"

"Better. I think," Odie replied.

Herry had fallen unconscious shortly after Jay had transported the five of them to the Underworld. Because Jay had taken his strength, Herry was the weakest out of the remaining five. Atlanta flopped down beside Neil.

"We should have listened to Archie. If we had listened to him in the first place he would never have left and we wouldn't be in this mess," the Huntress said.

"If only I had my powers. I could try to psychically contact him," Theresa pondered.

"You won't have to worry about him anymore."

Jay appeared below the cage.

"What do you mean we won't have to worry about him anymore?" Atlanta asked.

"Your little boyfriend is dead," Jay replied.

"No," Theresa breathed.

Atlanta could barely breathe. "He...he can't be. He's not!" she yelled.

Jay shrugged. "Made sure of it myself. No Poseidon to keep him from drowning, no Ares to get him to Chiron, just a little explosion and falling brick and this world is mine," he said.

"You're lying!" Atlanta screamed.

Jay tossed up a shattered gold pendant. Atlanta caught it and cradled it like a mother cradled a small infant.

"Don't worry, you'll meet him in Tartarus shortly," Jay said.

"Tartarus?" Theresa echoed.

"Uh...being heroes we go to the Elysian Fields," Neil pointed out.

"Not anymore," Jay answered.

Odie felt sick. "What happened to Hades?" he asked, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

"Safe," Jay replied simply.

There was a short pause.

"For now."

Atlanta held Archie's pendant to her chest. It couldn't be true. Not Archie. He couldn't be dead. Tears filled Atlanta's eyes.

_"I'm sorry, Archie. I'm sorry I didn't believe you."_

* * *

Sirens rang through the night. Voices could be heard but they were distant. So, this was how it ended? Trapped under a building, buried alive. It was a good thing he was afraid of water and not small spaces. Of course, he wouldn't blame himself for developing claustrophobia after this. Archie opened his eyes slightly. He was on his side, his left arm trapped under a pile of bricks. The Warrior tried to push his arm free. Tears of pain filled his dry eyes and he began to panic.

_"Calm down, Archie, calm down. Panicking never helped."_

Something brushed against his fingers. Archie forced life back into his fingers and he grabbed someone's ankle.

"What the? Someone's trapped under here!"

Archie sighed in relief as he felt cool fingers wrap around his hand. The rubble was lifted away. Moonlight began to snake its way through the cracks. Archie could feel some of his strength returning. There was _some_ benefit from being half shadow.

"This kid's still alive!" someone called.

Paramedics were at Archie's side in no time. The Warrior winced, because it hurt when the paramedics touched him, and because he was hit by a vision.

"We have to get this kid to the hospital, asap."

Archie's body stiffened even more. He saw Jay holding Theresa over the side of a cliff in the Underworld. Down below was the River Styx.

_Fool, you have to get down there!_

_"How? I'm in bit of a situation here."_

_You are the descendant of Achilles, are you not?_

_"Hello! I just had a building dropped on my head! Even _Achilles_ would have a hard time recovering from that!" _

Archie felt himself being lifted on to a stretcher. Erebus was right. He had to get to the Underworld. On the other hand, he could hardly move. For sure he was sporting some sort of break or fracture. Then a realization occurred. He shouldn't even _be_ alive. He had been practically standing beside the bomb when it exploded, combined with the amount of debris that had fallen on him, he should be on his way down the River Styx in Charon's boat heading for Hades. Archie couldn't help but smile. Looks like he had absorbed Neil's luck just in time.

* * *

Herry moaned as he began to wake up.

"Hey, Herry," Odie greeted.

"Where am I?" Herry asked, rubbing his head.

"The Underworld," Atlanta answered.

Herry's face paled.

"You're not dead," Theresa replied. "Well...not _yet_, anyway."

"What do you mean?" Herry asked.

He looked around.

"Where's Archie and Jay?"

"Jay's gone psycho," Neil replied.

"And Archie?" Herry asked.

No one answered, they just looked away. Herry saw the broken pendant around Atlanta's neck.

"Archie's not...he can't...is he?"

"He was caught in an explosion," Theresa answered.

"Heads are gonna roll when we get out of here," Herry said.

"How? Jay has our powers and abilities," Odie explained.

"And my luck," Neil added, crossing his arms. "I broke two nails in the last five minutes."

Everyone glared at him.

"What?"

"Worse things are happening, Neil," Odie said, annoyed.

"So, how do we get out of here?" Herry asked.

"We don't. Not unless Jay commands it," Theresa explained.

Atlanta wrapped her fingers around the pendant. She traced the "A" with her thumb.

_"Whatever happens, you know I've always got your back."_

Atlanta tightened her grip around the pendant. Tears filled her eyes again. If only she could have seen him one last time.

* * *

That's it for this chapter. Thoughts? Comments? Anything need improving?


	30. Ch 29: Destroying the Darkness

Archie crept through the Secret Wing. He didn't know if Jay was still here or in the Underworld and he didn't want to waste anytime fighting. Archie headed for Persephone's solarium. A sharp pain shot across his side.

_"Come on, Arch, this is no time to be thinking about your injuries."_

Archie headed over to where the Seasons were supposed to be.

"Archie? Is that you?"

"Spring? Where are you?" Archie asked.

The Seasons slowly came out of their hiding place.

"What happened?" Archie asked.

"Jay stole our powers and transported everyone to the Underworld," Fall replied.

"Everyone? Even the gods?" Archie asked.

The Seasons nodded. Archie rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"We all thought you were dead. Jay told us about the explosion," Summer spoke up.

Archie looked up and smiled.

"If Jay thinks I'm dead, then I have the element of surprise. Being dead might have an advantage," he thought out loud.

"Be careful, Archie. Jay has control of the Underworld now and he won't hesitate to use the powers of the Underworld against you," Winter explained.

"Don't worry. I'm dead, remember? I was supposed to be dead three times already," Archie pointed out.

And with that, he headed through the passageway that led to the Underworld.

* * *

The Underworld was quiet for a change. Even Cerberus seemed quiet. Atlanta looked up from her position on the cage floor. Thanatos was flying around overhead. The Huntress wrapped her fingers around the pendant again. She still couldn't believe Archie was gone. Atlanta closed her eyes and tried to get to sleep.

A shadowy figure crept up to the cliff. His grey-blue eyes were the only thing that could be seen. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Thanatos keeping guard. The god of death swung around when he heard an arrow whiz by. He flew off to investigate. When the god was gone, the figure quietly ran for the cage which held the five friends. Atlanta moaned as the cage rocked a little. She heard the door creak open and she felt herself being lifted off the metal floor. Atlanta opened her eyes. She gasped when she saw the eyes of her best friend smiling at her.

"Archie?" she whispered.

"Shh. I'm going to get you out of here," Archie whispered back.

He jumped out of the cage and landed softly on his feet.

"Please tell me you're not a ghost."

"I wouldn't be able to carry you if I was."

Archie set Atlanta down on her feet and went back to get the others. Soon, all that was left was Herry.

"Come on, Herry, wake up," Archie whispered, shaking his friend.

"Just five more minutes, Mom," Herry moaned.

Archie groaned. He grabbed Herry's shirt and pulled him over to the door.

"You need to lay off the midnight snacks, pal."

Archie swung Herry over his shoulders. It was a good thing he had taken Hercules' strength from Jay. The Warrior jumped out of the cage and landed on his feet. Unfortunately, it wasn't as graceful as before and it alerted Thanatos. Archie almost dropped Herry on his head when he began to wake up.

"This is awkward," Herry said.

"No kidding," Archie agreed.

He toppled backwards, sending both himself and Herry crashing to the ground. By this time, the gods and Jay were awake.

"What?!" Jay roared.

Archie waved. "Surprised?" he asked.

"How do you keep coming back?!" Jay demanded.

"Just...lucky, I guess," Archie replied.

He gave Neil a quick glance. Jay stormed up to Archie.

"Fine. I'll just have to kill you myself."

"You've tried three times already," Archie pointed out. "And...I'm still breathing."

Jay pulled out his gravitational sword. "Not for long," he said.

The two boys went head to head.

"Come on. We have to get the gods free," Atlanta told the others.

They ran for the cage the gods were held in. Archie ducked as Jay swung the sword at his head. The Warrior's hands burst into flames and he began throwing fire balls at Jay.

"Good to know my powers are being used for something good," Hephaestus commented.

There was a shriek. Everyone looked up. Thanatos was soaring towards them. Atlanta turned to Hades.

"I don't suppose the Helmet of Darkness will help, would it?" she asked.

"Jay stole all my powers, along with the Helmet," Hades replied.

"This stinks," Atlanta said.

Archie saw Thanatos flying towards his friends and the gods. He threw another fire ball. Jay ducked.

"You missed."

"Don't flatter yourself, I wasn't aiming at you."

Jay turned around to see the fire ball crash into Thanatos. The god of death fell to the ground. Jay growled and turned back to Archie, his eyes glowing a fierce red.

"Fine, if that's how you want to play it."

Jay held up his hand towards the five heroes. Theresa disappeared and reappeared in Jay's arms.

"Theresa!" Herry cried.

"You take out one of my players, I take out one of yours," Jay told Archie.

He threw Theresa over the side of cliff. Herry ran over as fast as he could. Theresa had grabbed the edge, but she was too far down for Herry to reach her.

"Neil, I need your help," Herry said.

"Help with what? Hey!"

Herry grabbed the blond.

"What are you..."

Neil screamed as Herry pushed him over the side. He grabbed the Charm's legs.

"Herry, this has to be one of your more stupid ideas!" Neil shouted.

"Just grab her!" Herry yelled back.

Neil reached down and grabbed Theresa's wrists. While that was going on, Archie and Jay's battle was getting heated (literally). Both boys were throwing fire balls at each other. One from Hephaestus' power, the other from Cronus'. Archie slapped his hands together and a massive wave of fire shot out. Jay was knocked to the ground. While the Leader was trying to regain his senses, Archie grabbed his shoulders. Jay cried out in pain.

"Get...off..."

The shadow that had enveloped Jay's body began to retreat. The shadow that was around Archie's body grew darker. Jay tried to fight Archie off, but the Warrior wouldn't let go. Archie fell back when the last of Erebus' shadow left Jay's body. Jay groaned. Panting heavily, Archie struggled to his feet. He swayed a little bit and shook his head. His body felt heavy.

"Theresa!" Neil yelled.

Archie looked over to where Herry and Neil were trying to pull Theresa back to safety.

"I can't..."

Theresa's grip slipped and she fell. Archie took off and dove over the side.

"Archie!" Atlanta screamed.

Archie grabbed Theresa and covered her body with his as much as he could. Theresa felt something snake over her before she felt the chilling water of the River Styx.

* * *

"Archie! Theresa!"

Atlanta searched the water.

"Don't get too close," Herry said, pulling her back inside the boat.

Charon had graciously allowed the heroes to use his boat to search for Archie and Theresa. A few minutes after they had fallen into the river, strange orbs floated out of the river. Jay told them they were power orbs. Now, here they were, searching the River Styx for their teammates.

"I see them," Odie called. "They're over there, by the Gates of Hades."

Charon stopped the boat and the teenagers jumped off. They ran over to the Warrior and Fighter. Archie was lying on his back, his left arm drapped over Theresa, who was on her side and almost lying straight across Archie's chest. Both seemed to be unconscious, but when Odie checked for pulses, it was only Theresa who showed any signs of survival.

"No. Not again!" Atlanta cried.

Jay couldn't stop the tears from falling. He had finally done it. He had killed his best friend. Herry gently shook Theresa. She moaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Guys? Wha-what happened?"

Theresa lifted herself up and looked down at the person who had saved her life.

"Archie?" she whispered.

She placed a hand on Archie's cheek.

"Oh no. No!"

Theresa buried her face in Archie's jacket.

"Theresa, what's wrong?" Atlanta asked, despite the obvious.

"It was Erebus' shadow. Archie transferred Erebus' powers to me before we hit the water," Theresa sobbed.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Neil asked.

"Having Erebus inside him made Archie practically a god himself. He couldn't die because Erebus is immortal. Before they hit Archie gave Theresa that immortal power and therefore saved her," Odie explained.

"Is the River Styx _that_ dangerous?" Herry asked.

"They say the water is so foul, just touching it will bring instant death to any mortal who touches it," Odie replied.

Atlanta stroked Archie's hair out of his pale face. Silent tears slid down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Archie," she whispered. She bent down and gently kissed him on the lips.

Jay cautiously wrapped his arms around Theresa. The Fighter turned and buried her face in his chest. Herry picked up Archie's lifeless body and headed back to the boat. The others followed. They had to bury classmates, now they had to bury one of their best friends.

* * *

What do you think? Thoughts? Comments?


	31. Ch 30: Too Stubborn to Stay Down

The room was silent. No one dared to talk. Finally, it was Jay (of all people) who broke the silence.

"What's my punishment?" he asked softly.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Theresa whispered.

"What's my punishment?" Jay repeated.

"Jay," Hera began.

"Hera, I killed someone. But, not just anyone, I killed Archie!" Jay cried.

The immortals were at a loss of words. Hera glanced over at Zeus. He only shook his head. None of them had any idea what to do.

"Please, don't let me go without _some_ kind of punishment," Jay said. Was he _asking_ or _pleading_ to be punished?

Just then, the doors opened and Hades walked in.

"I came to give my last respects," the god of the Underworld said.

"He's in Chiron's study," Hera replied.

Hades walked out again. Hera turned back to Jay.

"Why are you asking for something you are already feeling?" she asked.

Jay held his head. Archie would have knocked him into next week (if he were still alive) for being so stupid and idiotic. Now, Cronus had his powers back and they were a teammate short. Hello end of the world.

"What are we going to do now?" Atlanta asked. "All the gods, including Cronus, have their powers back and Archie's dead."

"Who says?"

Another silence fell over the room. Everyone slowly looked to the door. Chiron and Hades were standing in the doorway.

"May I introduce you to the new and improved Archie King," Hades said.

Archie stepped out from behind Hades. Atlanta couldn't believe her eyes. It was him. Alive and breathing.

"What?" Archie asked, walking up to his teammates.

"Y-you're...you're supposed to be dead," Herry said.

"I was," Archie replied.

"Then, why are you standing here?" Neil asked.

"A certain god of the Underworld brought my sorry soul back," Archie answered, winking at Atlanta.

Atlanta jumped to her feet and threw herself in Archie's arms. She pulled him into a kiss. Archie wrapped his arms around the Huntress.

"Get a room guys," Neil said.

Archie threw his whip at Neil's head.

"Ow," he whined as it hit its target.

Archie and Atlanta pulled away from each other.

"I think there's a certain leader who wants to apologize," Atlanta said.

Archie looked over at Jay. The Leader had never looked so worn and distraught in his life. Jay walked up to Archie.

"Arch, I...I just wanted to say I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I understand completely if you never forgive me," Jay explained.

Archie was quiet for a few seconds.

"I forgive you, Jay," he replied.

Jay looked up. There was no lying in Archie's eyes.

"But, you're going to have work mighty hard to get my trust back. No offense, but, you _did_ try to kill me," Archie said.

Jay smiled. "I'd rather have to work for your trust than to have to bury you," he replied. He paused. "By the way, how come you always kept coming back?"

Archie smiled. "I'm just stubborn that way," he answered.

Herry chuckled. He had told Atlanta how stubborn Archie was to try to cheer her up. Jay laughed and shook his head.

"So, who wants pizza? My treat," Archie said.

"Oh no, you paid for it last time," Jay pointed out.

"So?" Archie asked.

"You just came back from the dead," Odie put in.

Archie shrugged. "So, a dead person can't pay for pizza?" he asked.

The immortals laughed. Finally, after almost a month of mistrust and inner turmoil, everything was indeed back to normal.

**End**

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And there you have it. That's the end. Come on, you didn't think I would just leave Archie dead, did you? He's my favorite character. Anyway, how did you like it?


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